A terminally ill three year-old has been given £250,000 from a mystery benefactor to pay for experimental treatment.

Edie Molyneux, from Tranmere, is battling a rare inoperable tumour on her brain that kills , called a diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma (DIPG).

Her devastated parents, Ashleigh Stadling and Stephen, began desperately trying to raise £700,000 earlier this year for pioneering treatment in Mexico.

They hoped it would boost her chances of survival - but even researchers question whether the experimental therapy is even effective against the disease.

Already Spiderman-obsessed Edie has seen her tumour start to 'die' because of the breakthrough therapy, but doctors warn she needs more.

And now her appeal fund has rocketed to £428,000 after an unnamed benefactor donated a quarter of a million pounds to her treatment fund.

Edie Molyneux, from Tranmere, Wirral, is expected to die young because of the rare mass on her brain, known as a diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma (DIPG)

Already Spiderman-obsessed Edie has seen her tumour start to 'die' because of the breakthrough therapy, her family claims, but doctors warn she needs more

The money was donated after crowds heard about Edie's plight when she was an honorary 41st place at the Randox Health Grand National in April.

The place first introduced by Jockey Club Racecourses for five-year-old Bradley Lowery, who passed away after battling a rare cancer in July 2017.

Gemma Lowery, chief executive of The Bradley Lowery Foundation, said: 'We are very grateful to Aintree Racecourse and the Jockey Club for allowing Edie to be part of the Grand National.

'We were thrilled to get her name out there and thanks to them, there has been an anonymous donation.

'This has taken a lot of stress away from the family and allowed us to breathe a little bit more.

'However, crucial funding is still needed and we will continue to work towards our fundraising goal.'

Grant Rowley, of Jockey Club Racecourses, said: 'We were thrilled to offer Edie Molyneux this year's 41st place to raise awareness of DIPG.

'The donation that has been received for Edie and her family is overwhelming and extremely generous.

Her devastated parents, Ashleigh Stadling and Stephen, began desperately trying to raise £700,000 earlier this year for pioneering treatment in Mexico

The money was donated after crowds heard about Edie's plight when she was an honorary 41st place at the Randox Health Grand National in April

WHAT IS DIFFUSE INTRINSIC PONTINE GLIOMA (DIPG)? Diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma (DIPG) is a rare type of brain tumour Diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma (DIPG) is a rare type of brain tumour that can't be operated on because of its location within a crucial part of the brain, called the pons. This area is responsible for a number of critical bodily functions, such as breathing, sleeping and blood pressure. The high-grade brain tumour, which mostly affects children, tends to grow quickly and often spreads to other parts of the brain or spinal cord. Most diagnoses occur in youngsters between the ages of five and 10. The cause of the tumour remains unknown. More than 90 per cent of its victims will die within 18 months of diagnosis, according to figures. Each year, there are around 100 to 150 new diagnoses in the US. In the UK, it strikes between 20 and 30 each year. Symptoms include lack of facial control, double vision, headaches, vomiting, weakness, seizures and balance problems. One of the early indicators of the cancer is a child falling, tripping or losing balance. Advertisement

'It has and will continue to make such a huge difference to Edie and the family and we're pleased to have been a small part of that.'

Last November, Edie began to suffer from painful headaches and was referred to a consultant paediatrician at Arrowe Park Hospital in Birkenhead.

An MRI scan confirmed she had a lump, which was located in the brain stem, which turned out to be DIPG - a rare brain tumour that occurs in children.

The location of the tumour, in the centre of the brain, meant that surgeons can not operate to remove it.

And chemotherapy is not a viable option in the UK as the levels needed to treat the tumour would poison the rest of Edie's body.

Her parents then found out about a treatment offered at The Instituto de Oncología Intervencionista clinic in Monterrey, Mexico.

The £300,000 treatment, a combination of intra-arterial immunotherapy and chemotherapy, targets Edie's tumour through her arteries.

Last November, Edie began to suffer from painful headaches and was referred to a consultant paediatrician at Arrowe Park Hospital in Birkenhead.

This is different to conventional chemotherapy because it delivers cancer-killing drugs directly to the tumour through an artery in the neck.

Traditional chemotherapy, which is delivered to the whole body, can leave patients ill because they are exposed to high doses of medications.

Before Edie's family began fundraising for the treatment, they heard the 'multi-pronged attack' helped two children with DIPGs.

In January, she was flown to the Mexican clinic for her first round of treatment, which is when her parents first publicly appealed for funding.

They released heartbreaking footage that showed Edie struggling to feed herself - a brutal side effect of her DIPG - and being spoonfed yoghurt by Ms Stadling.

Edie's family are currently waiting to hear back from doctors to discuss her latest scan results - but she is reportedly doing well and is even sitting up by herself.

Explaining Edie's tumour, Ms Stadling, a nursery nurse, said: 'Last November our world was crushed - Edie was diagnosed with DIPG.

'We were told by our doctors to go home and make memories with the family but then we found hope.

'The most recent MRI scan shows a small amount of shrinkage, a massive step as we were previously told the tumour was stable.

'Please support us in any way you can, even if it's just telling people all about the disease.'

Edie's father, Mr Molyneux, added: 'Each treatment costs approximately £30,000.

'At the moment, we don't know how many treatments Edie is going to need so we're hoping to raise at least £700,000 to cover the cost.'