The family of a young girl who tragically passed away last week has set up a fundraiser in her memory. Aria Hodgkiss from Wrexham, had been diagnosed with diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma (DIPG) on the day of her third birthday, which fell on May 4 2021.

Doctors initially gave her just 12 months to live, but Aria was still battling over six months after her fourth birthday. Sadly, her fight came to an end at the beginning of this month when her parents announced that she had passed away peacefully just after midnight on Monday, December 1.

Now, Aria's mum, Melanie, has set up a fundraiser to raise money for two charities dear to the family: Abbie's Army, a DIPG research charity, and Hope House, which Melanie says has "helped us through the last few months and weeks".

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Melanie writes on the JustGiving page: "Aria won her battle against DIPG as she gained her wings on the 1st of December 2022. She can now run free and be a proper 4 year old girl. We are heartbroken but we will continue to raise awareness in Arias name."

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. There is no known cure for DIPG, which is a terminal brain tumour that cannot be removed.

Aria Hodgkiss from Wrexham who was diagnosed with a terminal brain tumour last year
Aria began showing symptoms of DIPG back in September 2020

The family said their focus had been to prolong Aria's little life for as long as possible, with various treatments tried through a GoFundMe page set up by Aria's former child minder Vicky Roberts, which raised thousands. Following Aria's tragic death earlier this month, her family tweeted: "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. 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."

Sympathy messages soon followed on the social media platform. One said: "So sorry for your loss . Thoughts with you all" and another said: "Absolutely heartbreaking. All my love and strength I’m sending to you all." You can view the fundraiser here.

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