A Braintree family suffered yet more heartbreak after surgery for a toddler with a rare cancer was cancelled.

Brave Sienna Riley returned to Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH) on February 11 ahead of an operation the following day to remove a tumour but on the eve of the procedure it was cancelled because of a low platelet count.

Sienna, two, was first diagnosed with neuroblastoma - an aggressive but rare child cancer that attacks the nerve cells - in November 2012.

Shortly afterwards her family were also told she had cardiomyopathy of the left ventricle - a condition that affects the heart muscle’s function.

Despite the latest setback, the family remain optimistic.

After a series of tests are completed, Sienna, who is currently back home, will return to GOSH for seven months of intensive immunisation therapy.

Her platelet levels will also be reassessed half way through that treatment and again afterwards to see if she can have the surgery, which would improve her chance of survival by between 10 and 15 per cent.

Sienna’s family are also continuing their efforts to raise money for treatment in Germany in the event that their options run out in the UK or she suffers a relapse.

To donate to Sienna’s Appeal Fund, gofundme.com/3j2cg4

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