A mother has told of her heartbreak as her young daughter fights a rare form of brain cancer.

Carly and James Murray were on holiday in France in May with their three children when eight-year-old Pippa fell ill.

Dashing to the hospital in Dijon, a series of tests including an MRI were carried out and Pippa was found to have a large tumour in her brain - the size of a satsuma.

An eight-hour operation removed the cancerous growth, and Pippa recovered well. However, after returning to the UK the family learned that Pippa had a rare form of stage 4 cancer - Embryonal CNS Neuroblastoma Fox2 Activation.

Carly said: "It is a living nightmare. It has turned our world upside down. We were in France preparing to go to Disneyland and then this bomb dropped."

Pippa has been undergoing chemotherapyPippa has been undergoing chemotherapy (Image: Murray family)

Neuroblastoma is a rare form of cancer which affects young children.

Read more: Mother of Weymouth cancer boy thanks community for support

Pippa has been going through her first round of chemotherapy. She will soon undergo tests to decide if further surgery is needed, or radiotherapy, in London.

Carly says that Pippa's positivity throughout her treatment has helped keep her family going.

She said: "She is such a confident, energetic and bubbly girl. She has been massively positive all the way through, it helps her and it helps us.

"You can't dwell on the bad things when your child - who is going through it - is so positive that she is going to get better."

Lailah, Pippa, Carly, Roman and James Murray (Image: Carly Murray)

The Murray family lived in Weymouth and then Portland before deciding to sell their home two years ago to pursue a 'bus life'.

Carly, 43, and Dorset Police employee James, 39, have two other children Lailah, 12, and Roman, six.

They travel around the region - the children are home-schooled - but they frequently return to the Weymouth area and have family living here.

With Pippa needing frequent appointments in Southampton, they have temporarily moved in with family in Bournemouth, and have parked their bus in a friend's field.

Carly added: "We have got a great support network around us. We cannot believe how generous family and friends, and people we don't know have donated to Pippa and showing their support."

A fundraiser is underway to support the family.

Money raised will go towards supporting the family, including therapy and alternative treatments that can be run alongside the NHS treatments.

If you would like to support Pippa and her family, visit: gofundme.com/f/please-support-pip-through-stage-4-brain-cancer

Additionally, friends of the family are organising an online auction to support Pippa to be held from July 26 to August 2. They are appealing to companies for submissions to the auction. More details can be found on: facebook.com/profile.php?id=61561384411344