AN EIGHT-YEAR-OLD girl from Poole has received a wave of support from celebrities and the community after having an operation to remove her right eye due to a cancerous tumour.

Elizabeth Rooney has had a succession of slow growing neuroendocrine tumours called paragangliomas, the first of which was noticed when she was three years old.

Having had two surgeries to remove the tumour behind her eye, the tumour came back a third time meaning that surgeons had to take drastic measures to ensure it wouldn’t return and spread further.

Elizabeth’s step-mum Jess Middlecote said: “She has been an absolute trooper.

“She has known for a while now that there might be a possibility that she might lose her eye. When she found out that it was a definite and it was actually going to happen, she had around half an hour crying non-stop.

“After that, she said that she was going to start designing her eye patch.”

Her most recent surgery at Great Ormond Street Hospital on Tuesday April 14 involved the removal of her eye, the surrounding soft and some of bone from her eye socket.

To keep Elizabeth’s spirits up and show support Elizabeth’s uncle started a bit of a trend encouraging people to take pictures of themselves with their very own eyepatches and words of encouragement.

Jess added: “The weekend before her operation she was drawing picture of designs for her eye patch

“We asked for people to send in selfies wearing eye patches to show their support for Elizabeth and what she was going through, and we got loads of them in response.

“We showed her the photos and that really helped her. She was blown away by the number of photos that were sent in and the messages they were leaving her.”

Still recovering from her surgery at Great Ormand Street Hospital, Elizabeth and her mother Charlie Beach have been shielding from the current coronavirus pandemic because of Charlie’s high risk due to her breast cancer treatment in 2018.

Unable to see her step-daughter and looking for ways to support her, Elizabeth’s step-mum Jess contacted Dorset Children’s Foundation, who helped to set a crowdfunding page to raise £1,000 for a family trip for her and her family to Butlins.

Patsy Hallmey Co-Founder of The Dorset Children’s Foundation said: ‘We were contacted by the family and truly touched by Elizabeth’s plight and what a wonderfully supportive family and friends she has.

“The target has been smashed and we have raised over double that now so hope to send them on a short holiday to spend some much-needed quality time together.

“We have been thrilled to learn that Elizabeth is on the road to recovery just having had her dressings removed. Elizabeth is one of the many Dorset children that we support and we do hope that this goes someway to help put a smile on her face.”

Within 24 hours of the page being set up, they reached their target and now the total nears £2,500.

Since her recent surgery, the eight-year-old has received hundreds of messages of support from the public as well as celebrities, including singer James McVey from The Vamps, Jamiroquai, and Elizabeth’s favourite novelist Harriet Muncaster, author of the Isodora Moon series.

Elizabeth’s birth mum Charlie said: “Elizabeth is a very positive person anyway, but she was gobsmacked when she found out how much has been raised.

“The support has been overwhelming. The staff at Great Ormand Street Hospital have also organised for Tom Felton, the actor who plays Draco Malfoy in Harry Potter, to do a video message for Elizabeth.

“It has been so lovely for her to have them for and me to see that so many people acknowledge how brave and courageous she has been and seeing your child being supported in the way she has been.”

In a reply to her messages on social media, Elizabeth added: “Thank you. I can’t smile that well because it would hurt but if I could, I would have smiled but all those lovely posts made me so happy so thank you lots.”

To give moeny to help Elizabeth and her family, visit http://www.virginmoneygiving.com/fund/thedcf/elizabeth.