{"id":743828,"date":"2026-08-20T07:58:24","date_gmt":"2026-08-20T07:58:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/743828\/"},"modified":"2026-08-20T07:58:24","modified_gmt":"2026-08-20T07:58:24","slug":"five-year-old-raises-thousands-for-charity-after-living-nightmare-cancer-diagnosis","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/743828\/","title":{"rendered":"Five-year-old raises thousands for charity after ‘living nightmare’ cancer diagnosis"},"content":{"rendered":"

Nina Grierson has raised more than \u00a39,000 within weeks of being diagnosed with a kidney tumour<\/p>\n

Bethany Lodge Senior Reporter<\/p>\n

05:00, 19 Aug 2026<\/p>\n

\"Kayleigh<\/p>\n

Kayleigh Grierson cut off her hair to be made into a wig for children with cancer(Image: Submitted)<\/p>\n

A little girl from Scunthorpe has become a charity\u2019s 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 \u201cthe worst day of my life so far\u201d when the family were told Nina had a tumour in her kidney. She has spent the last month undergoing chemotherapy at Sheffield Children\u2019s Hospital before her kidney can be removed.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

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\u2019s recovery was going as planned. \u201cAbout 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\u2019t 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,\u201d Kayleigh said. She took Nina to A&E, where she was told the bloodwork was not needed.<\/p>\n

\"Nina<\/p>\n

Nina Grierson has been undergoing chemotherapy at Sheffield Children’s Hospital(Image: Submitted)<\/p>\n

\u201cI said \u2018I don\u2019t care I\u2019m not leaving until you do an ultrasound and the bloods like the GP has told you to\u2019. My husband came and we refused to leave. We stayed over that night and were told it\u2019s a UTI, this tumour often presents as a UTI. They did an ultrasound and a doctor came back and said he\u2019d like to do an ultrasound higher up.<\/p>\n

\u201cWithin two hours we went from UTI to \u2018we think your daughter has cancer\u2019. July 10th was the worst day of my life so far.\u201d 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: \u201cThey still don’t know the stage of cancer – that\u2019s the worst part for me as a mum. Stage 1 and 2 means it\u2019s in her kidney and they can just take it out of her. Stage 3 and 4, we aren\u2019t even thinking about. It\u2019s just insane and I can\u2019t believe I\u2019m this parent.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Nina<\/p>\n

Nina helped cut her mum’s hair off at the fundraising event on Friday(Image: Submitted)<\/p>\n

Nina is taking the illness in her stride and has raised \u00a39,000 so far for the Little Princess Trust, vastly surpassing her initial target of \u00a3700. Kayleigh had her hair cut off to donate to the Little Princess Trust, which makes wigs for children with cancer. Kayleigh said: \u201cShe\u2019s quite well in herself most days which keeps us going. She doesn\u2019t have the mental capacity or understanding of it. She doesn\u2019t understand what the worst case scenario would be. She\u2019s not frightened because she doesn\u2019t get it.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs parents, we are going through a living nightmare right now. Nina\u2019s hair has started falling out very slightly, and we\u2019ve been honest and we\u2019ve made it exciting. As if getting a wig is quite a fun thing, because she\u2019s only five. We are trying to do anything that enhances this situation for her. She actually cut my hair with the hairdresser\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n

\"<\/p>\n

Nina at her first chemotherapy with doctor Daisy, nurse Nina and patient Lily(Image: Submitted)<\/p>\n

\u201cThe 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\u2019s like an adult. We\u2019ve been so open with her and we don\u2019t want her to be scared. She\u2019s an absolute trooper.\u201d<\/p>\n

Nina plans to donate some of her toys to Sheffield Children\u2019s Hospital, where she has been receiving her treatment. \u201cFingers crossed my little angel rings that bell,\u201d Kayleigh said. \u201cUntil that surgery we don\u2019t know. That\u2019s the most frightening part right now.\u201d<\/p>\n

Visit Nina\u2019s page in aid of the Little Princess Trust.<\/a><\/p>\n

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