THE mum of a toddler who's battling leukaemia says she ‘literally cried’ when her daughter's pre-school raised more than £1,000 in her name.  

Little Holly Hall attends Chrysalis Day Nursery on Gadbrook Business Park.

On their way back from a family holiday in June, Holly’s mum, Toni Hall, noticed an unusual rash on her daughter’s arm.

When it didn’t respond to treatment, the three-year-old was referred to Alder Hey Children’s Hospital in Liverpool, where she was quickly diagnosed with leukaemia.

Mum, Toni, from Lostock Gralam, says at first she thought there must have been a mix up with the tests.

“It was something I never thought I’d hear someone say to me”, she said.

Northwich Guardian: Staff and children at Chrysalis Day Nursery managed to raise more than £1,000 for Young Lives vs CancerStaff and children at Chrysalis Day Nursery managed to raise more than £1,000 for Young Lives vs Cancer (Image: Chrysalis Day Nursery)

Since then, Holly and her family have been supported by Young Lives vs Cancer, a charity dedicated to helping families in just this situation.

On hearing of the charity’s wonderful work, staff at Chrysalis Nursery set themselves the challenge of a whole week of fundraising in September.

This included a teddy raffle, and a special parents' breakfast event, which raised a whopping £1,011.

Toni added: “I literally cried when Chrysalis Day Nursery said it wanted to hold a fundraiser for Young Lives vs Cancer.  

"What a wonderful thing for them to do. 

“Holly’s diagnosis was completely out of the blue. At first you think there must have been some kind of a mix up.

“We’d literally just come back from Mallorca when I noticed a rash on Holly's arm.

“I took her to the GP, who gave me some cream.

“After a couple of days, it hadn’t worked, so I took her back and they gave her some antibiotics.

“They didn’t work either – if anything, it was getting worse.

“We went back once again and asked for a referral to Leighton Hospital. Within just two hours, they said they thought it was leukaemia.

“They sent us to Alder Hey by ambulance, where it was confirmed.

“It’s the type of leukaemia doctors hope for, because it’s the one they know most about. It has a good cure rate, and so far, everything’s going in the right direction.

“We still go to Alder Hey for chemotherapy every week, and it’s a 25-month course of treatment.”

A specialist social worker at Young Lives vs Cancer helped Toni claim money back for a family holiday they had to cancel, liaised with her other children’s schools, and if she needs them, she knows they’re just a phone call away.

She said their support has been ‘a real life line’, helping her deal with things she never thought she’d have to even consider.

Rachel Cartmell, Chrysalis nursery manager, said: “After finding out about Holly’s diagnosis we wanted to make sure we were there to support the family.

“When we heard about how amazing Young Lives vs Cancer had been, we knew this was a charity we really needed to help.

“All the parents have been so generous, which is how we've raised so much.

“The staff really embraced the week and we’re so proud of the amount we raised.”

Sophie Meadows, Young Lives vs Cancer fundraising engagement manager, said “When a child is diagnosed with cancer, their whole world can feel like it’s falling apart.

“We can’t thank Chrysalis Day Nursery enough for their fantastic efforts.

“We rely entirely on donations to help us make sure children and young people with cancer get the right support at the right time.”