THE HEARTBROKEN parents of a poorly six-year-old Prestwich girl are hoping to bring some cheer to their "little princess" after she was diagnosed with cancer.

Elle Tierney was getting ready to celebrate the New Year with her two-year-old sister Isabel and parents Paul and Stephanie when they found a lump on her neck and took her to hospital.

Paul, a former Manchester United youth footballer who now plays for Prestwich Heys, said they were left devastated when their little girl was diagnosed with Burkitt's Lymphoma, a type of cancer that spreads in the white blood cells that usually fight off infection.

Elle, who attends St Bernadette's RC Primary School in Whitefield, is undergoing chemotherapy at Royal Manchester Children's Hospital and Paul has thanked friends and family for springing into action to help.

"It has been such a painful time for us all and Steph and I have been at the hospital a lot, but people have helped us a great deal, with everything from cooking us meals to looking after our youngest, and we cannot thank them enough," said Paul, who is an accounts management officer for Salford City Council.

He added: "Steph works as a hospital receptionist and both our employers have been very understanding with time off.

"St Bernadette's have been great too and they have been asking about Elle a lot and have given her a pack, with colouring books in to make sure she isn't bored in hospital."

Elle wants to be a princess when she is older, so family friends have started a fund to transform her garden into a princess's paradise and they are hoping to arrange for Queen Elsa, from hit Disney film Frozen, to visit her in hospital.

Among those who have backed the fund are Wigan player Grant Holt and Bolton Wanderers striker Emile Heskey — teammate of Paul's younger brother Marc.

Paul, aged, 32, of Highfield Road, said: "This is the worst year of Elle's life and we want to follow it up by giving her the best year of her life.

"We're both grateful to everyone who has been helping. I haven't seen some of them for years, since I was at St Monica's RC High School, but they still want to make my little girl happy."

Some of the money raised will go towards providing Elle with supportive therapies to complement her current treatments.

Doctors have been trying to make the youngster as comfortable as possible in hospital: when nurses put Elle on a drip, they also did the same to a doll that she got for Christmas.

Paul said: "Elle is a very happy girl and she is being very brave.

"She can be quite shy around adults, but loves being around other children and is usually loud around them.

"She is also very kind. When we started the fund and asked her about a present, she said that it would make her happy if we got something for her little sister instead."

Elle is set to remain in hospital until the summer at least, while she continues her chemotherapy and fundraising efforts will carry on in the coming months, with many people associated with Prestwich Heys pitching in.

There will be a fancy dress fun run in Heaton Park at 9am on Saturday April 18 with participants encouraged to come dressed as kings, queens, princes and princesses.

To make a donation: visit gofundme.com/PrincessElle