Crosby school’s family fun day hopes to give pupil undergoing treatment for cancer some hope

A school in Crosby is hoping its upcoming family fun day will give Holly Barnes, a young pupil diagnosed with cancer, some hope to help her get through a difficult time.

With bouncy castles, market stalls, facepainting, raffles and more, a Crosby school is promising its Family Fun Day will be a ‘great afternoon’.

But more than anything, Forefield Community Infant & Nursery in Crosby is keeping fingers crossed it will Give Holly Hope.

For at the heart of the Forefield Lane school’s event on Saturday, June 27, is fundraising for one of its young pupils.

Holly Barnes, five, was diagnosed with stage four high risk neuroblastoma, a type of cancer, in May 2024.

And after a more than two years of gruelling treatments which have so far failed, Holly’s parents are raising money and searching for alternative treatments across to globe to try and keep their little family together.

Mum Kathryn said:

“We will never stop fighting to give her a happy future and to make Holly well,”

Meanwhile, as they look forward and reveal news updates about their daughter on social and JustGiving pages, Kathryn says she and husband Mark have been overwhelmed by people’s kindness.

Kathryn said:

“The fundraising and comments from people have given us a real boost and they’ve given us a purpose,”

“The support and messages have been so nice, and that people are taking it upon themselves to donate and raise money for Holly is lovely. But then we hadn’t expected anything less from the city of Liverpool, because that’s how this city is.

“It gets behind each other, and people rally round when things happen.

“That kindness is helping us be strong for our daughter, and it’s amazing.”

Holly was on a family holiday in Cornwall when it became clear she was unwell.

The then-three year old struggled with constipation, says Kathryn, 38, and, despite treatment they got both there and at home, it failed to get better.

She added:

“It would clear up and then come back,”

It was thought the youngster was developing an infection but concerns grew when Holly started limping because of pain in her leg and Kathryn and Mark, a 42-year-old IT professional, decided to take her to Alder Hey.

Doctors who carried out an MRI scan found a mass in Holly’s abdomen near to her adrenal glands and diagnosed the stage four cancer, which has spread to her bones and bone marrow.

Kathryn said:

“We were in total disbelief. You see and read things all the time about childhood cancers, but you never think it’s going to be you or your child.

“You feel like you go into a different world at first, like you can’t connect with anyone anymore. You’re in your own little bubble because of what you’re going through.

“It was really difficult.”

Holly underwent 10 rounds of high-dose chemotherapy from May to September 2024, which saw her battling not just with the treatment but with complications and infections that set in.

Another two rounds of chemotherapy followed to try to reduce her disease levels and doctors harvested her stem cells for transplant, before she underwent more high-dose chemo.

Further complications in February last year left her with a severe lung infection and she was put on a ventilator in intensive care as the hospital warned Kathryn and Mark that there was a high risk Holly wouldn’t make it through the night.

Kathryn said:

“She was really poorly,”

“It was a long night but thankfully she pulled through.

“Holly has been really scared but she has been strong too. When she’s well, she’s a really happy little girl who loves to laugh.  But obviously she’s not always like that.

“I’m not sure me and Mark have dealt with what she’s been through and is going through, or what we’ve been through. We just try to stay strong for Holly – she doesn’t need to see us upset – and we’d swap places in a heartbeat.”

Kathryn said that after her recovery, Holly underwent radiotherapy at The Christie Hospital in Manchester:

“And she was so bright, we were hopeful,”

But as she began immunotherapy which was to be her last phase of treatment, Holly’s cancer came back at levels as high as when she started her horrendous journey.

A clinical trial combining chemotherapy and immunotherapy, and targeted radiation treatment in Glasgow have failed to help. 

That’s why, with few options left, but a lot of hope still, with the help of the charity Solving Kids’ Cancer UK – which exists to provide vital support to children and families affected by neuroblastoma, drive innovative clinical research and raise awareness of the impact of it – Kathryn and Mark have set up a JustGiving page called Give Holly Hope to raise funds to find alternative treatments across the world.

Holly has just started a new course of high dose chemotherapy to try to reduce her disease levels sufficiently to fit the criteria for CAR-T cell therapy in Rome.

That involves extracting a patient’s T-cells, genetically reprogramming them in a laboratory to target specific cancer cells, and infusing them back into the bloodstream.  It has shown success but could cost around £400,000.

That’s why fundraising – like that at Holly’s school and via the JustGiving page – is vital.

“We wouldn’t have set up a JustGiving page on our own and that’s why we did it with Solving Kids Cancer,” says Kathryn.  “They hold any funds for seven years and then, if we don’t need them, they go to the charity and maybe another child they could help.”

Kathryn and Mark hold onto hope for Holly:

“Despite everything she has faced, Holly continues to light up every room she enters with her humour, determination and caring nature. She loves Pokémon, cuddly toys, music and Everton FC, and she’s known for her cheeky personality and ability to make others smile even during the hardest moments.

“We are beyond proud of Holly and she continues to amaze us every single day with her strength, courage and personality. 

“We are fundraising to ensure we can access further treatment options for Holly if they are needed and to give her the very best chance for the future.”

You can help fund and support Holly by clicking here.

Get more stories like this from Liverpool here.

Find out what’s good up North on our new platform, The Northern Guide. 

From the best hotels, beauty spots, days out, food and more up North – visit thenorthernguide.com and follow The Northern Guide on Instagram HERE.