Brave Archiestown toddler gifted special Christmas teddy bear to help face cancer treatment
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A BRAVE Archiestown toddler with leukaemia has been gifted a special teddy bear to help her face cancer treatment over the Christmas period.
Mara Moyes (3) received the teddy bear from Cancer Support UK as part of the charity's Cuddles for Christmas appeal.
The special winter campaign is aiming to send out 1500 cuddly bears to children's cancer wards across the UK. The aim is to make Christmas extra special for children with cancer.
The special bears were going to be sent out later this month. However, an exception was made for Mara after staff at the Royal Aberdeen Children's Hospital contacted the charity.
Gemma Holding, Cancer Support UK's CEO, said: "When we heard about this brave little girl, Mara, who has had a really tough ride with cancer, we knew we wanted to do something sooner rather than later. So, as our Cuddles bear drop isn't due to take place until towards the end of December, we decided to send her an early surprise gift in the shape of Charlie, our Cancer Support UK bear ambassador."
Mara was described by mum Katy Moyes as a happy, cheeky little girl with a love of the outdoors, singing and painting. It became clear that something was seriously wrong when Mara lost that enthusiasm and became increasingly upset.
Katy said: "Mara can be found one day flouncing around in a tutu and doing odd jobs in her boiler suit and wellies the next. And she's never happier than when she's sitting chatting with her big brother.
"We called our local GP, spoke to our Nurse Practitioner, were given an appointment, transferred to Elgin and then Aberdeen all in one day. By 11pm that night we'd been told that Mara had leukaemia."
After an understandably difficult year for the family, Katy says they are now looking forward to a Christmas together. They're also hoping Mara will be able to start maintenance treatment soon to restore further normality.
Katy said: "Mara has a lot more understanding about Christmas and it holds a lot of excitement this year. We hope it can be as magical as possible for both children.
"Mara is completely in love with Charlie Bear and can't stop stroking him. Recently she's been struggling to sleep so his gorgeous lavender scent is a very welcome addition to her bed. Thank you to Cancer Support UK, there's very little that beats seeing that smile!"
Donations for the Cuddles for Christmas appeal can be made here.
