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Isla Mansfield received over 700 cards, hundreds of presents and over £500 in cash – marking her first birthday spent at home in the last two years.
The ‘high-spirited’ youngster suffers from multi-system Langerhans cells histiocytosis – a painful condition which has attacked her liver, spleen, gut, skin, bone and blood.
Over the last two years Isla has endured 120 hours of intensive chemotherapy as well as ‘countless’ blood transfusions.
After spending her third and fourth birthdays at Sheffield Children’s Hospital mum Rachael Hodgkinson sent out an appeal for cards to make little battler Isla’s fifth one to remember.
As well as cards and gifts from places all over the globe including Australia, America, Canada, Holland, Scotland, Ireland and Portugal, ‘overwhelmed’ Isla also received a special visit from police and firefighters on her big day.
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A video shows a police car and fire engine arrive at her home with sirens wailing as officers sing happy birthday to the bashful youngster.
Afterwards she was presented with cards and gifts from both services as neighbours looked on.
She was also serenaded on her doorstep by Buxton’s own Holly Howe as Beauty And The Beast’s Belle, and received a visit from a Shetland pony thanks to kind owner Julia Fidler.
Devoted mum Rachael, 38, described Isla’s day as ‘amazing’.
She said: “It couldn’t have gone better – although Isla was a bit overwhelmed by it all.
“Having the police and firefighters sing happy birthday was just fantastic – we really didn’t expect that – and she loved Belle but she went a bit quiet and shy.
“This will probably be the first birthday she’ll remember as she’s been in hospital for the last two and too young to know what was going on before that.
“It’s just fantastic that we’ve been able to give her the special birthday that she’s not been able to have the last couple of years – I just about managed to keep my emotions in check on the day.”
Rachael told how the cards would now be stored away so that Isla could look over them in years to come and see ‘how much support she had from people all over the world’.
Isla is currently undergoing 18 months of chemotherapy to bring the incurable illness under control – though it has been temporarily paused pending blood test results.
Retail worker Rachael, who said the illness had turned her family’s world ‘upside down’, is ‘praying’ the treatment works – otherwise Isla will need a bone marrow transplant.
Rachael said: “We just want to thank everyone who sent cards and presents.”
As well as hundreds of other well-wishers Rachael also thanked Gingers and Corner Cupboard sandwich shops for taking card deliveries, Debbie McCarron for Isla’s ‘beautiful cake’ and Georgie Burns for delivering gifts and presents in the Royal Mail van.
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