A FOUR-year-old girl has been given no more than 12 months to live after being diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumour.

Within a week of first falling ill with what was thought to be a virus, an MRI scan revealed Ellese Mulligan-Green had a tumour at the .

Her parents Joanne and Philip Green, from Guide, Blackburn, were then told the tumour was a high-grade glioma and their daughter only had between nine and 12 months to live.

Joanne, who works for Hyndburn Homes, and her husband are fundraising to take Ellese to Euro Disney and are looking to fund possible treatments in America if doctors cannot do anymore in the UK.

This is likely to cost somewhere in the region of £80,000.

Joanne, 39, said: “She is beautiful, and she’s caring and she loves everyone and loves life including her little brother.

“She is very, very strong and is very brave. She’s inspirational.”

Joanne, who also has a two-year-old son, Joshua Mulligan-Green, said Ellese had been feeling unwell at the end of May but put it down to a virus. The mother-of-two rang NHS direct days later when she noticed Ellese was wobbly on her feet.

Doctors diagnosed the St Mary’s RC school pupil with a perforated ear drum and an infection in the other.

But Ellese had become even more unsteady on her feet and her parents took her to see their GP in Blackburn Road, Accrington, who sent her to Royal Blackburn Hospital for a scan.

She was then rushed by ambulance to Pendlebury Hospital where doctors discovered the tumour.

Joanne added: “We’re numb all the time, it is hard to manage day to day but we are coping. Ellese has been brilliant she needs us, she is stronger but we have to be stronger than her.”

Ellese has had 30 treatments of radiotherapy over six-and-a-half week in the summer. Doctors found the tumour has not shrunk and some of the cells have begun to repair themselves. Ellese is due to start a course of chemotherapy on November 10.

A fashion show fundraiser is being held at Poplar Social Club, Wellington Road, Accrington, on November 20 at 7.45pm. Tickets are £3. Contact Jan Monroe on 07738885180 for tickets. Hyndburn Homes has so far raised £500 for Ellese.