A little girl whose arm pain was dismissed as a sprain has been given just weeks to live after her symptoms resulted in a devastating diagnosis. Six-year-old Bonnie-Leigh Spence had to have the majority of her left arm amputated after the shock diagnosis in February last year.

Her mum Zoe first noticed a lump on her arm in December when she started experiencing sharp pain. Doctors initially believed it was nothing more than a sprain – but after a second visit to Blackburn Hospital, a tumour was spotted on a scan.

Bonnie was diagnosed with Rhabdoid Sarcoma – a rare form of cancer that affects roughly eight children every year in the UK. Doctors started her on a course of chemotherapy, but after that failed her family were tragically told there is little more that can be done.

Step-mum Caroline Spence, 32, of Consett, County Durham, told SWNS: “She was diagnosed with it in February. Bonnie was with her mum Zoe in Lancashire and she noticed a lump. She said they thought it was a sprain at first and told her to take Calpol.

“She came back to us and we noticed the lump. She went back to hospital and a scan spotted a tumour. She had a biopsy at Birmingham Children’s Hospital seven weeks later. In the two weeks after, Bonnie got very unwell so we decided to bring her to the north east on February 24.

“Royal Victoria Infirmary in Newcastle did a full body MRI and found it had spread to her lungs. It had started cutting off nerves and leaking toxins into her kidneys. They had to amputate her arm above her elbow and after that she had chemo for 28 weeks. She had it every two weeks, it was an intense 28 weeks.

“Around June time she had two weeks of radiotherapy to try and shrink the tumours in the lungs. They were huge. She finished her chemotherapy in September. We’ve had three scans since then and the tumours are back in the lungs and building up momentum again.

“The doctors have said she’s had the maximum dosage of chemotherapy, so now we’re waiting for the tumours in her body essentially. They’re just waiting for it to hit its momentum, they’ve said it would be about mid-March.

“It would be days after it peaks that we could lose, so we’re told we have roughly eight weeks. The cancer has doubled again in six weeks.”

Rhabdoid Sarcoma is a rare, aggressive childhood cancer that typically originates in the kidney but can also form in the brain or other soft tissues. Symptoms include abdominal masses, urinary issues in kidneys, or neurological problems in the brain.

The family are now fundraising to afford last-minute trips and experiences for Bonnie after recently taking her to Disneyland.

Bonnie’s dad Iain, an HGV driver and former soldier who served in Afghanistan, and Caroline, a midwife, are on leave from work while they care for her. Caroline added: “When we first set up the GoFundMe, we weren’t expecting it to go on for very long as they said she wouldn’t see her birthday. We want to do as many nice things for Bonnie as possible.

“She’s been to Disneyland and walked on the pitch at the Rangers as well as walking onto the pitch with Newcastle United’s captain Bruno. We’ve had to fit a lifetime worth of memories into a year.

“We’re trying to do everything you would do with a child in 18 years in one year. It’s not been easy, but we’ve made it work. We went to Disneyland at Christmas. If she wants an ice cream one day, we’ve got the funds to be able to say yes and still pay the mortgage.

“The money has been unbelievable, it’s less than one of our yearly salaries but it helps us stay with her. We’ve made it work but it hasn’t been easy. It is a bit degrading having to beg people to pay our gas and electricity.

“Iain is ex-army who did two tours of Afghanistan and I’m a midwife. Until you go through it yourself, you have no idea how difficult that is. Bonnie has made it easier, she’s smiled through everything. She’ll leave a very big hole, she’s a funny and cheeky typical six year old.

“On Saturday we’re going to Spain for a week. Iain’s parents live there and struggle to travel. We’re going to enjoy the beach even though it’s not warm enough. We’ve got a puppy and a couple of UK breaks planned in the Lake District. It’s all go go go, it all costs money, as everything does.

“We don’t want to get to a position where we have to tell her we can’t do something because of the money. She’s well at the moment, she gets tired, her body gets tired, 28 weeks of chemo and radiotherapy have taken their toll on her.

“Other than that she’s in such high spirits. Bonnie is running around playing as if she’s fine as she thinks she is, her sisters are the same. We take every day as her last day. Every day we do activities and take her out because we don’t know when that day will come. We’re not going to sit around and mope. We can’t have negativity in the house.”