SMILEY schoolgirl Lucy Moroney tucks into an ice-cream as she continues to undergo pioneering chemotherapy in Mexico to treat a brain tumour.

Her aunt, Paula Newman from Tarporley, said the brave youngster, aged nine, had started to feel better and remained her happy and giggly self.

She also revealed that people had so far donated a whopping £236,000 towards the £300,000 target saying she was “stunned” by the response.

Lucy, who was diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumour on July 17 this year, flew out to Mexico on August 21 with dad Joe to receive intra-arterial chemotherapy.

The treatment, which was not available on the NHS, sees the chemo drugs injected directly into the tumour while minimising exposure to healthy tissue.

Paula posted on Facebook last week: “Since having her Intra-Arterial Chemotherapy I'm so pleased to say that Lucy has started to feel better!

“Today, Lucy had her blood draw for her immunotherapy treatment and was very happy and giggling going in...even though she was nervous as they put her to sleep to do it!

“She was as good as gold as ever and woke up afterwards without a peep. So she got to enjoy a rare treat afterwards, getting most of it on her chin and nose!”

She added: “Once she's had the immunotherapy, she'll have a short break then will be back for another round of IA. They will perform another MRI scan prior to this and that's when we'll find out if there's been any shrinkage to the tumour, reduced cancer activity and/or new cell generation.”

Paula urged people to carry on donating at Lucy's Just Giving page - www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/lucy-pineapple Lucy's Pineapple Fund got its name due to her love for the fruit.

The youngster, who lives in Heswall and attends Gayton Primary School, was given her crushing diagnosis just five years after the death of her mum, Nicola, and baby sister, Ruby.

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