PARENTS are backing a campaign to raise awareness of brain tumour symptoms after their daughter was diagnosed with the disease at the age of two.

Nimita and Jay Mistry, from Sonning, were left devastated when Layla, now four, was diagnosed with a cancerous brain tumour in July 2016.

Layla experienced severe vomiting and balance problems that went undiagnosed despite numerous trips to the GP.

As well as receiving intensive brain surgery, Layla has had blood and platelet transfusions and several rounds of chemotherapy.

Nimita said: "Everything felt surreal, it felt like it wasn’t me there, that this wasn’t our story, it wasn’t our daughter.

“Layla was barely two years old and she was so naïve and innocent in all of this.”

The family was transferred to the John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford, where Layla had surgery that night to relieve the pressure on her brain.

Following her stem cell transplant, Layla left hospital in January 2017 and her condition improved, allowing here to be discharged two months later.

However, in June 2017 she caught a virus and was readmitted to hospital and required another stem cell transplant.

Layla, who started school last September, is now on a ‘watch and wait’ policy for future treatment and has four-monthly brain and spine scans.

Nimita added: “Layla’s doing great, she is so determined and her mobility has improved.

“She is such a happy, beautiful child and is really chatty. She has made lots of friends and is keen to give everything a go and have fun.”

Nimita and Jay are now supporting the HeadSmart campaign and urging people to seek advice early if they suspect their child may have brain tumour symptoms.

Sarah Lindsell, chief executive of The Brain Tumour Charity, said: “We are hugely grateful to Layla’s family for sharing her story during Brain Tumour Awareness Month.

“Raising awareness of this terrible disease and its symptoms is vital to avoid the distress caused by a delay in diagnosis and to ensure the best possible outcomes.

“HeadSmart has two aims; to save lives and to reduce long-term disability by bringing down childhood brain tumour diagnosis times."