Nina Grierson has raised more than £9,000 within weeks of being diagnosed with a kidney tumour
Bethany Lodge Senior Reporter
05:00, 19 Aug 2026
Kayleigh Grierson cut off her hair to be made into a wig for children with cancer(Image: Submitted)
A little girl from Scunthorpe has become a charity’s top fundraiser just weeks after being diagnosed with cancer at just five years old. Nina Grierson is raising money for Little Princesses Trust after finding out she had cancer last month. Mum, Kayleigh Grierson, said July 10 was “the worst day of my life so far” when the family were told Nina had a tumour in her kidney. She has spent the last month undergoing chemotherapy at Sheffield Children’s Hospital before her kidney can be removed.
Kayleigh and husband Johnothan are already planning to raise money for more charities that have supported the family through their ordeal. On Friday, Kayleigh cut her hair off to donate to be made into a wig – with Nina helping do the chopping. The five-year-old later announced she wants to be a hairdresser when she grows up.
Less than two months ago, the couple were preparing to take their three children Lily, 14, Daisy, 12, and Nina to Turkey. Nina had recently had her appendix removed, and worried mum Kayleigh took her to the GP to check Nina’s recovery was going as planned. “About 4 days before Turkey I thought I should get a GP to check her over. The operation freaked me out a bit and I didn’t want to end up at a hospital in Turkey. The GP was amazing and said she definitely had an infection, so she needs bloods and a scan,” Kayleigh said. She took Nina to A&E, where she was told the bloodwork was not needed.
Nina Grierson has been undergoing chemotherapy at Sheffield Children’s Hospital(Image: Submitted)
“I said ‘I don’t care I’m not leaving until you do an ultrasound and the bloods like the GP has told you to’. My husband came and we refused to leave. We stayed over that night and were told it’s a UTI, this tumour often presents as a UTI. They did an ultrasound and a doctor came back and said he’d like to do an ultrasound higher up.
“Within two hours we went from UTI to ‘we think your daughter has cancer’. July 10th was the worst day of my life so far.” Nina was diagnosed with a Wilms tumour in her kidney and has since been receiving chemotherapy. She will soon have an MRI to find out if the tumour has shrunk enough to be operated on. Kayleigh said: “They still don’t know the stage of cancer – that’s the worst part for me as a mum. Stage 1 and 2 means it’s in her kidney and they can just take it out of her. Stage 3 and 4, we aren’t even thinking about. It’s just insane and I can’t believe I’m this parent.”
Nina helped cut her mum’s hair off at the fundraising event on Friday(Image: Submitted)
Nina is taking the illness in her stride and has raised £9,000 so far for the Little Princess Trust, vastly surpassing her initial target of £700. Kayleigh had her hair cut off to donate to the Little Princess Trust, which makes wigs for children with cancer. Kayleigh said: “She’s quite well in herself most days which keeps us going. She doesn’t have the mental capacity or understanding of it. She doesn’t understand what the worst case scenario would be. She’s not frightened because she doesn’t get it.
“As parents, we are going through a living nightmare right now. Nina’s hair has started falling out very slightly, and we’ve been honest and we’ve made it exciting. As if getting a wig is quite a fun thing, because she’s only five. We are trying to do anything that enhances this situation for her. She actually cut my hair with the hairdresser’s help. She thought it was the best thing in the world and now she says she wants to be a hairdresser when she grows up.
Nina at her first chemotherapy with doctor Daisy, nurse Nina and patient Lily(Image: Submitted)
“The other day she asked if she could do her chemo on her own and we had to sit at the door. Now she takes her medicine herself. When she talks about it, she’s like an adult. We’ve been so open with her and we don’t want her to be scared. She’s an absolute trooper.”
Nina plans to donate some of her toys to Sheffield Children’s Hospital, where she has been receiving her treatment. “Fingers crossed my little angel rings that bell,” Kayleigh said. “Until that surgery we don’t know. That’s the most frightening part right now.”
Visit Nina’s page in aid of the Little Princess Trust.
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