Family of brave young girl diagnosed with tumour thank community for support

A North Tyneside family are currently in the process of fundraising for treatment of their little girl, who has been diagnosed with an incurable and inoperable brain tumour. 

Five-year-old Mercy Cuthbertson, is the daughter of two serving police officers at Northumbria Police, and the force is rallying to support the extremely brave young girl.

Mercy’s mother, Lorraine, is a Chief Inspector in Sunderland and South Tyneside, while dad Paul is a PC working in one of the forces’ busy control rooms, and both are utterly heartbroken by Mercy’s diagnosis. 

Lorraine said: “We are absolutely devastated and when we heard those four words – ‘it’s a brain tumour’ – our lives changed forever.

“But we’ve decided to be positive and to fight.

“We are going to do all we can to fight this diagnosis and maintain Mercy’s mobility for as long as possible.”

The family are raising money to fund medication for Mercy, which is not currently available on the NHS. 

The medical which will help to prolong Mercy’s life, and is available privately but costs thousands of pounds a month. 

Mercy’s family are also hoping to raise enough money to get her onto a clinical trial at Great Ormond Street Hospital.

Read Newcastle's news on the go with our free email newsletters - bringing the headlines to your inbox. Catch up on the day's news and sport and enjoy even more from the NewcastleWorld team. Visit our website here to find out more and sign up.

Since the launch of a CrowdFunding page earlier this month set up by close friend and colleague Elizabeth Biggins, over £70,000 has been raised from the generosity of over 3,000 donors. 

The funds already raised will cover the cost of treatment for Mercy for two years.

Concerns were raised after Mercy started experiencing issues with her balance and vision. After undergoing medical investigation, it was sadly confirmed that Mercy had a tumour. 

Since then, the young girl has undergone three brain surgeries, 28 radiotherapy sessions and intense physiotherapy.

Despite this, Mercy’s family have said that she has remained resilient, and enjoys playing with her older sister and pet dogs.

Lorraine said: “The tumour has impacted Mercy’s mobility and vision – she now requires care 24/7 and each day we are very much led by what she wants and can do.

“Mercy is hilarious, strong, sweet – your typical little girl. She absolutely loves playing with our two bichon puppies. She is just amazing.”

The family have thanked all who have reached out to the family, and supported the fundraising so far.

Any remaining funds will be donated to The Brain Tumour Charity.