Three-year-old Phoebe James from Littlehampton was diagnosed with stage four neuroblastoma in July, a rare childhood cancer that develops from immature nerve cells.

Now her mum Emily, 37, and her aunt Alice Aston, are trying to raise £300,000 for treatment in New York which could stop Phoebe from relapsing should her current treatment on the NHS prove successful.

Emily said: “On the current count we are just over £16,000 in 10 days, it is way more than I could have anticipated – everyone has been amazing and very generous.”

She added: “Phoebe is coping amazingly and having chemo every 10 days, and she is still her cheeky and bright self. She is doing really well.”

Phoebe in hospital

Emily said she never expected doctors to tell her that her daughter had cancer.

She said: “She had been unwell on and off with a fever for a couple of weeks, nothing out of the ordinary.

“We ended up at the GP, who diagnosed her with tonsillitis.”

Five days later, Emily discovered a lump on her daughter’s head and took her to Worthing Hospital.

Emily said: “Less than 48 hours later, they told me she had cancer.

“About 100 children a year get diagnosed and quite often it doesn’t present until quite a late stage.

“By the time Phoebe was diagnosed, her cancer had reached stage four.

“It was shocking really, she hadn’t been particularly unwell.”

Phoebe is currently underdoing intensive chemotherapy on the NHS, which will hopefully put her in remission.

But Emily and Alice are already looking beyond this point.

In the UK, once treatment is over, Emily said: “that is it”.

But The Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Centre in New York offers a vaccine designed to reduce the risk of getting neuroblastoma again following treatment.

Emily said she believes this vaccine gives children “the best chance” – but it is only available in the US.

To make matters worse, for international families who do not qualify for trial funding the treatment can cost more than £300,000 – leaving fundraising their only option.

Emily said: “I strongly believe it should be available here in the UK.”

Phoebe’s auntie, Alice Aston

Alice, who lives in New Jersey, is running the New York City Marathon to raise money for Phoebe’s treatment.

Alice said the treatment’s high cost prompted her to start fundraising early, despite Phoebe’s recent diagnosis.

Donations can be made through her GoFundMe page.

The money raised will cover travel, accommodation and the vaccines.

On the fundraiser, Alice said: “What began as a personal goal has now become something far more meaningful.

“I will be running every mile for Phoebe, with the hope of raising funds to help cover the significant costs of travelling from the UK to New York for Phoebe and my sister, so that they can access the care and treatment that may give Phoebe the best possible chance for the future.”