A young girl who was given just 12 months to live has died as her heartbroken family pay tribute to their "brave warrior".
On the day of her third birthday last year, Aria Hodgkiss, from Wrexham in North Wales, was diagnosed with an aggressive tumour, diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma (DIPG). The ECHO previously reported that her parents had the heartbreaking news told to them by doctors treating her at Alder Hey Children's Hospital.
Her parents, Melanie and Carl, were told their daughter may not live beyond her fourth birthday as they said it "felt like the end of the world". Aria died yesterday, December 1, NorthWalesLive reports.
READ MORE: Martin Lewis issues 'critical' message to people of State Pension age
Her family announced the news that the four-year-old has died. They wrote on Twitter: "Our brave warrior, our baby girl Aria passed away peacefully surrounded by her family at 12.30am.
"We are absolutely devastated and we have no idea how we will carry on each day. But, we promise you that we will carry on for you. We love you so so much Aria."
Tributes and messages of support have since poured in. One person said: "Thinking of all the family at this devastating time. Sending lots of love. Rest in peace beautiful Aria"
Another said: "Absolutely heartbreaking. All my love and strength I’m sending to you all" as a third added: "Aria has been a huge inspiration and fought so very bravely."
Aria's symptoms first appeared in September 2020 when her parents Melanie and Carl started to notice that she was losing her balance and her mobility was becoming increasingly impaired. She was diagnosed with diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma (DIPG). The life expectancy from diagnosis typically is between nine months and a year and the only NHS treatment currently available is radiotherapy, which will solely prolong a life by about six months.
The family had been keeping everyone updated on Aria's journey via their Facebook Page - Aria vs DIPG - as well as their larger fundraising efforts. With their main focus on prolonging her life, a GoFundMe page had been set up, which had caught the attention of Hollywood stars Rob McElhenney and Ryan Reynolds.
Aria's mum previously sad: "The worst moment was when the doctor at Alder Hey told us that Aria only had around 12 months left to live. I'd seen the scans beforehand and had done a lot of research online so it wasn't a complete shock, but hearing that was life-changing.
"We're approaching it on a daily basis and we all just want to make the most of time we have with Aria. I'm incredibly grateful to everyone who has supported us in making sure that she's with us for as long as possible."
Receive newsletters with the latest news, sport and what's on updates from the Liverpool ECHO by signing up here
READ NEXT:
Faces of 40 Liverpool criminals who were jailed during November
Mum's nightmare after son never came home from Christmas party
Floral tributes for man, 36, who died after falling from bridge
Facebook Marketplace fraudster crashed into tree
Hundreds of jobs secured at Ford's Halewood factory as £125m investment revealed
