A schoolgirl battling a brain tumour has made so much progress that she has ditched her wheelchair, played on a slide and enjoyed a giggly reunion with her sister.

Lucy Moroney, aged nine, is responding well to pioneering chemotherapy treatment in Mexico which has seen her aggressive tumour shrink considerably.

Her dad Joe posted a video of his daughter sliding down an impressive-looking slide as she takes a break from hospital.

He wrote on Facebook: “It may not seem like much for Lucy to go down a slide on her own, but this is a big thing for her, particularly for her balance and confidence. I had to help her climb up the large steps to the top, but that also meant I had to slide down myself!”

He added: “You can see that Lucy is still her usual happy, bubbly self. We had a great follow-up meeting with the doctors last week to review the previous MRI results.

“They were really pleased with the progress and how Lucy is responding to the treatment.”

The youngster was also said to be “beyond excited” when she met up with her sister Amy and baby brother Max at the weekend.

Lucy, from Heswall, was diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumour on July 17 this year.

Called Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma (DIPG), it is a relatively unknown form of cancer that is thought to only affect children

The bombshell came just five years after the death of her mum, Nicola, and baby sister, Ruby.

She flew to Mexico on August 21 with her dad to undergo a new procedure called intra-arterial chemotherapy, which was not available on the NHS.

It sees the chemo drugs injected directly into the tumour while minimising exposure to healthy tissue.

The trip abroad was only made possible after the family set up Lucy’s Pineapple Fund and managed to raise more than £200,000 towards the cost of the treatment.

The appeal – which aims to raise £300,000 – got its name due to Lucy’s love of the fruit.

Aunt Paula Newman, from Tarporley, has been providing updates on Lucy’s progress. In her most recent post on Saturday she wrote: “Lucy is continuing to improve – she’s much better clinically and has ditched the wheelchair for now!

“She had some fun with new friend Annabelle and her sister chasing each other around the restaurant they had visited! It must’ve been fantastic for Joe to see her running about and having fun.

“She also had a go at swimming (although that might take a bit more practice!).

“Joe shared some of the MRI scan results yesterday and clear as day, we can see how much of a difference the treatment, and therefore all of the fundraising, is making so thank you! We are thrilled to have such a great result so early on.”

She added: “The key thing now is to keep going with the treatment to prevent the cancer fighting back. DIPG is a very aggressive tumour, so we have to continue an aggressive treatment approach. We are also looking into other therapies to work alongside the treatments in Mexico, for example there’s one involving magnetic fields at a certain frequency, which may help attack cancer cells.

“Ultimately, we want Lucy home and receiving the treatment she needs in the UK.”

She called on people to sign a petition calling for more research into DIPG at https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/200017

To help with the family’s fundraising bid visit www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/lucy-pineapple.