AN EAST Renfrewshire schoolgirl who is living with a brain tumour has launched a Christmas appeal to help find a cure for the disease.

Determined Katie Milliken is hoping to raise £5,000 for the Brain Tumour Research charity by sharing her story of hope over the festive period.

Just a toddler when her family were told she had an inoperable brain tumour, Katie is now 11 and has endured years of operations, chemotherapy and other invasive treatments.

The treatments have left her with irreversible changes, such as poor co-ordination and balance, she can no longer run properly, and has had to learn to write with her left hand. 

However, while her life is far from that of a typical 11-year-old, Katie still manages to attend school almost full-time and her chatty nature rubs off on all who get to know her.

Recently, she suffered a major seizure but, despite this setback, she is looking forward to Christmas at home in Clarkston with sister Charlotte, eight, and parents Louise and Ken.

Earlier this year, mum Louise ran the London Marathon in Katie’s honour, raising an astonishing £16,820 for Brain Tumour Research.

She said: “Katie has continued to amaze us all with her courage and positive outlook. She’s a real chatterbox and thinks nothing of standing up in a room full of strangers and telling them about her disease. 

“She’s so outgoing and manages to win everyone over with her personality.

“I would do anything I could to make my daughter better but the sad truth is that there is no cure. Our only hope is that there will be a breakthrough in research which will lead to better treatments and, ultimately, a cure.

“Life is so fragile and it is just tragic to think we are not alone. Sixteen thousand people are diagnosed with a brain tumour each year, yet historically just one per cent of the national spend on cancer research has been allocated to this devastating disease.”

To make a donation to Katie’s appeal go to www.braintumourresearch.org/our-christmas-wish/katie-milliken