LITTLE Anya Ottley is still thinking of others despite the shock of being told she has kidney cancer at the age of just six.

Anya's mum, Kathryn, spotted a small lump in her stomach towards the end of November and within three days medics diagnosed had her with the condition.

The brave youngster, from Little Lever, has already been through four rounds of chemotherapy treatment, and later this month and will undergo a ‘major operation’ to remove her left kidney.

Doctors will not be able to determine what stage the cancer is at, or how many further rounds of chemotherapy Anya will need, until carrying out tests after the operation.

Mrs Ottley, aged 43, says Anya has coped with her diagnosis ‘incredibly’ despite her tender years.

She said: “She had handled it better than me and her dad, Andrew. She has been in every single consultation and they’ve hidden nothing from her, she knows exactly what’s going on.”

And although she has been given news that is daunting at any age, Anya’s fun-loving personality has remained unchanged.

Mrs Ottley added: “She’s been no different, you would not think to look at her that she has anything wrong. The surgeon said it’s surprising because even though she looks so well she is very poorly. This operation is a major, major operation and she will suffer and you’re going to be upset because she will have gone in looking well and come out the other side not how she went in.”

Anya, who goes to Mytham Primary School, was told she would begin to lose her hair after her third round of chemotherapy.

She was provided with a real-hair wig by the Little Princess Trust cancer charity to ease the trauma of her hair loss.

Mrs Ottley added that Anya found a reason to laugh when she received the wig.

She said “She’s definitely a character, she’s funny.

“When we went to get the wig she said ‘when I go back to school, Mummy, you can be upstairs brushing my hair, while I’m downstairs watching cartoons and having my breakfast - that’s come out of the mind of a six-year-old.

“That’s the kind of character she is. She hated me brushing her hair, because it’s naturally wavy hair that’s down just above her waist and takes forever in the morning.”

And Anya has still found time to raise a gobsmacking £12,000 – and counting – for the Little Princess Trust in just three weeks

Grateful to the Little Princess Trust for her wig the kind-hearted youngster wanted to help others in her situation by donating her own hair for a wig.

Mrs Ottley, who says Anya has ‘beautiful hair’ to donate, said: “I emailed the Little Princess Trust at 3am in the morning, they emailed back at 7am and we got Anya this wig all fully funded by them.

“We were overwhelmed by what they had done and both myself and Anya had our hair cut into a short bob and put it on Facebook and a Just Giving Page.”

Donations included £430 from Gigglers Day Nursery, where Anya went as a pre-schooler, but cash has come raining in from far and wide.

“I don’t even know them, I don’t recognise the names. People have donated in Euros and dollars, it’s just amazing.”

“Anya is proud as punch about it and I’m just amazed at how generous people have been. It’s just overwhelming how many people care and all the messages people have sent on our Just Giving page.”

Anya’s older brother Lewis, aged 27, is also holding a charity football match and fun day at Premier Five in Darcy Lever, on Thursday, December 28 from 11am.

To donate to Anya and Kathryn's fund visit justgiving.com/fundraising/anyagrace