MIRACLE tumour survivor Leah Bennett appeared on BBC Breakfast this morning along with dad Stephen.

They appeared on the show after the Star's story about how surgeons saved the life of Leah, from Bold, against all the odds reached national newspapers.

 

Leah, now seven, had started intermittently complaining of a sore back in November 2018.

A few days later she couldn’t sit straight in her car seat.

Leah's pain continued throughout December 2018 and into January 2019 with her appetite and energy levels also affected.

One evening after coming across an article about BBC presenter Dianne Oxberry, who died from ovarian cancer in 2018, Leah's dad Stephen Bennett read a footnote of symptoms for cancer – and saw that tiny Leah had some of those symptoms.

Leah's mum Claire, booked to see a GP who immediately referred Leah to Whiston Hospital where it was discovered that she had a large lump on the bottom of her spine.

READ MORE > Have lunch with former LFC star

She was then taken to Alder Hey Children's Hospital where she underwent numerous scans and tests, and was diagnosed with an unknown tumour.

The tumour run from her spine into her abdomen and around her arteries in her legs as well as the bottom of her aorta.

With the tumour not having an official name, none of the medical staff knew how to directly treat it.

Leah, a pupil at St Bartholemew's, in Rainhill, underwent chemotherapy treatment, but it had little effect.

St Helens Star:

Alder Hey surgeons took Leah's case to a meeting with other medical professionals from across the country to discuss what to do next.

Surgeons from Great Ormond Street, Bristol and Manchester Hospitals had said that surgery was "impossible" for Leah as it would be "highly unlikely to be 'in her best interests'".

Despite this advice, surgeons decided, after speaking to Leah's parents Stephen and Claire and explaining that there was only a 10 per cent chance of them being able to remove the tumour, to take the chance.

Three surgeons from Alder Hey and one from Liverpool Royal operated on Leah, and after eight hours they were told that Leah was not only OK but that surgeons had managed to remove most of the "impossible" tumour.

St Helens Star:

Leah and dad Stephen

After undergoing radiotherapy at Clatterbridge Cancer Centre everyday for six and a half weeks, Leah made a steady recovery and remarkably earlier this month her family were told that the remaining tumour had reduced in size.

St Helens Star:

Leah

On BBC Breakfast, Stephen said: "We want to give credit to these guys. Without them coming into our lives Leah probably wouldn't be sat here now. And we want to give to other people who maybe find themselves in a similar situation now or in the future.

"Miracles can happen and never give up on that."