A fighting fund has been launched to save the life of a brave little schoolgirl

The parents of Rosie Veronica Mitchell, who is battling cancer, have set up an appeal to raise money take their six-year-old daughter abroad for vital treatment.

Rosie, of Kingston Dock, is battling deadly neuroblastoma for the third time.

The community has been rallying around and £15,000 has been collected already for the appeal.

Her mum Donna-Lousie Hurrell, 40, said: "It was my plan to launch a campaign once I had all the material, posters and sponsorships forms, collection buckets all branded with Rosie's details through.

"But I set up a Facebook page to let people how Rosie was getting and I was just overtaken with people wanting to fundraise, so that's why I set up the Justgiving page.

"The response has been amazing, I can't believe it."

Now Rosie's Fighting Fund Campaign, established in conjunction with the Solving Kids' Cancer charity, is up and running and will be formally launched at a Ladies Day at the Hibs Hall in Port Glasgow on Saturday.

Around 150 ladies have signed up and there will be a champagne afternoon tea, DJ and raffle.

It's been a traumatic time for Rosie and her family, mum Donna-Louise, husband Ross Mitchell and her twin brothers Dylan and Lucas.

The youngster was only 15 months when she was diagnosed with stage 4 neuroblastoma and had cancer in her abdomen, face, skull, lymph nodes and bone marrow.

She underwent 18 months of treatment and spent six months in hospital.

Rosie underwent surgery, high-dose chemotherapy, a stem cell transplant, radiotherapy and immunotherapy.

She also suffered a brain haemorrhage and liver disease.

The inspirational youngster came through all of this and was cancer free for two and a half years but in November 2016 the cancer came back and she received further treatment.

A routine scan in April this year revealed that the cancer had returned in Rosie's bones, triggering a fresh round of chemo.

Now the family are looking at other options abroad.

Donna-Louise says options are very limited and that is why families fundraise to go America or Germany for treatment aimed at preventing the cancer coming back.

Rosie recently picked up an infection and had to spend a week in hospital to recover.

Donna-Louise, a teacher, said: "She's had a horrible couple of weeks.

"She caught an infection and her bloods were all over the place."

Once Rosie has fully recovered from the infection she will get another round of chemotherapy.

Her stem-cells have also been collected to help her fight any future infections caused by the treatment.

Donna-Louise said: "In a few weeks we hope to take her to London for high dose chemotherapy treatment, it's a clinical trial.

"It all depends how she copes with the next round of chemotherapy at the hospital."

Keen ballet dancer Rosie was sad that the infection meant she would miss her ballet school summer show but her friends at Elite Academy of Dance in Greenock cheered her up by arranging a special performance.

Ballet teacher Julie Gunn-Kavanagh said: "Rosie has been coming here since she was two years old, she's the most beautiful wee girl and she's got a real talent for ballet.

"It's really tragic what has happened but we are trying to be as supportive and positive as we can.

"Everyone wants to see her get better and get back to ballet."

The ballet display and the auction of a picture drawn by one of the dance mums raised £400 for the appeal fund.

Her school friends at St John's Primary in Port Glasgow also held a charity day in her honour at the end of term, raising more than £8,000.

A Little Mix tribute concert is being held at Cruden Hall on August 12 and tickets have sold out already.

To support Rosie's fund visit https://solvingkidscancer.org.uk/campaigns/rosiemitchell/