Five-year-old Bonnie was rushed to the hospital by her parents when they noticed an odd lump on her left arm.

Doctors told them it was just a sprain and sent her home with her arm in a sling.

Two months later, Bonnie’s parents were given the tragic news that it was actually an aggressive cancer and they had just months left with their little princess.

In the time since she had first gone to the hospital in December – just days after celebrating her fifth birthday – the cancer had spread to her lungs through her bloodstream and the tumour in her arm was restricting blood flow and releasing toxins that damage the kidneys.

Specialists said the young child would have to have her arm amputated to prevent further damage, before then being started on palliative chemotherapy.

The cancer, Rhabdoid Sarcoma, is said to be extremely rare but aggressive, only affecting about eight children a year.

Speaking to MailOnline, step-mother Caroline Spence said: ‘It’s been horrific. It’s been really tough.

‘A lot has happened in a small space of time, it’s hard to process.

‘It’s really upsetting having to watch her with her little one arm, trying to do everyday tasks that we take for granted.

‘We’re just trying to navigate giving her the best time we have left with her. We want the entire time to be really special for her.

‘Her arm was amputated on March 3 and she started chemo on March 5, so two days later. So it’s been a lot for Bonnie.

‘It’s a really aggressive chemo because the tumour is so aggressive.

‘They’re giving her chemo to hopefully give her a bit more time with us, but there is no cure.

‘If her body responds to the chemo, then we’ve been told we have six to 12 months, 12 months as the absolute max.

‘If it doesn’t respond to it, then they say they’ll stop it and she’ll have a month or two after.

‘We’ve been trying to protect our other two children from it all, who are eight and two.

‘My eight-year-old Jennifer is aware Bonnie is ill but doesn’t know she is terminal.’

Bonnie, who has a love for music and is always looking to play outside, is currently being cared for by her father Iain Spence and her step-mum Caroline, in Newcastle, with her mother Zoey frequently visiting.

She was in Lancashire with her mother and sisters when they first noticed the lump and she was taken to hospital to be told it was a sprain.

When a week later the pain and swelling was only intensifying, her mum took her back to A&E where an MRI was taken and it was found Bonnie had a tumour in her arm.

They did not know whether it was cancerous or benign, and so referred them to Birmingham for a biopsy which was meant to take two weeks to return.

Frustrated by the delays and Bonnie’s worsening condition, her mother decided it was worth sending her to hospital in Newcastle with Iain and Caroline to see if it was any faster.

As soon as they arrived at Royal Victoria Infirmary (RVI), she was admitted into hospital and told she might lose her arm.

Mrs Spence said: ‘We noticed a small lump on her arm initially but the hospital said it was a sprain. They did X-rays and they couldn’t see anything. So they put her in a sling and sent her home.

‘This was in Lancashire where Bonnie’s mum and sisters live.

‘She came over to stay here during Christmas and we were worried because she was in more and more pain and was needing paracetamol, Calpol, all that sort of thing, and we thought it was getting bigger.

‘So when she went to her mum, she took her to A&E where they did an MRI and found a tumour but they didn’t know if it was cancerous or not.

‘So they sent Bonnie to a hospital miles away in Birmingham to do a biopsy. My husband, Bonnie’s dad, went with her to the biopsy and was told it would take two weeks for the tests to return.

‘But in that time her arm just got bigger and bigger, and Bonnie’s mum asked us to take her to the hospital here to see if it’s faster here.

‘So we took her to the Royal Victoria Infirmary in Newcastle and they immediately said she needs to be admitted and that she might lose her arm due to compression syndrome.

‘While we were there they did lots of tests and found the cancer had spread to her lungs through her bloodstream.

‘They diagnosed her with stage 4 cancer, but by this point we still didn’t have the initial biopsy back.

‘Until we took her to RVI we were just told we need to wait for results.’

Rhabdoid Sarcoma commonly appears in the kidneys or soft tissues, and for Bonnie developed on her arm.

In Bonnie’s case, it was only detected by doctors when it had reached stage four.

Speaking of Bonnie’s resilience, Mrs Spence told of how she still enjoys playing outside and tries to remain independent despite losing her arm.

She said: ‘We had to amputate her arm eventually because her muscles started dying because the tumour was blocking blood flow. The muscles were releasing toxins that damage the kidneys.

‘So they had to amputate above the elbow.

‘She was very upset when she woke up without an arm, which was really traumatising for her dad and me to watch.

‘But she’s adapted to the one arm better than I think I would have.

‘She’s so resilient, she’s done amazing with it, and she still likes to be independent and do everything herself.

‘She loves playing outside and yellow is her favourite colour, so it’s nice that the daffodils and ducks have come out in the sun and she enjoys it.

‘There are good days and bad days but we take the good days as they come.

‘She just understands she’s really poorly, but doesn’t understand much more. She’s only five so she doesn’t fully know what is happening.

‘We’re anxious about how it’s going to be after. Even now, it takes its toll. There are many many medications we need to give her on a daily basis, and she has a feeding tube.

‘It’s ongoing and is a very draining time.’

Bonnie was taken to RVI in Newcastle on February 23, and three days later the family was told it was terminal.

She arm was then amputated on March 3 and just two days later the strong girl started being administered chemotherapy.

Mrs Spence explained: ‘It is Rhabdoid Sarcoma cancer, which is a very very rare form. It develops in soft tissue areas. In children it usually develops in the kidneys, but for some reason for Bonnie is developed in her arm.

‘Only eight children a year are diagnosed with it, so it is very rare.’

When they found out about the diagnosis, both Mr and Mrs Spence went on leave.

Mr Spence had been in the army for 17 years, and his current job meant he could only take statutory sick pay – which comes to about £120 a week.

Mrs Spence is also only being paid basic salary while off, yet the increased electricity and heating bills, as well as necessary equipment has seen their costs soar.

She said: ‘But all costs have gone up, electricity has gone up, bills have gone up, there’s been more equipment we needed to get, fuel to and from the hospital appointments, food.

‘We want to make really nice memories with her. She likes to play in the garden so it would be nice to get her more play equipment, and go on some mini breaks and holidays as the family. She really wants to go to the beach.

‘We really didn’t want to resort to opening a GoFundMe, we wanted to do it ourselves, but it was difficult.

‘She just wants to spend more time with family. She wants to spend time with her siblings.

‘We want to take her on a few family trips.

‘She loves being outside and loves music, loves singing and dancing. Loves being out on the trampoline.

‘She’s only newly five, she turned five in December. So she just understands that she’s poorly, not much more.’

Bonnie has got four siblings in Lancashire – two elder full sisters, and two half sisters.

Her mum comes to visit every few weeks for the weekend and has also started a fundraiser to raise money for travel.

Bonnie shares a room with older sister Jennifer, whom her parents say she is very close with.

Speaking of her and Jennifer’s bond, Mrs Spence said: ‘They are inseparable. They’re currently playing together upstairs.

‘They dote on each other and they call each other sisters, never half-sisters.

‘They share bunk beds in their bright pink girly bedroom.

‘We are quite concerned actually about how Jennifer will take it because they are so close.’