Parents are appealing for donations to a GoFundMe page for an IVF treatment after losing their daughter to acute myeloid leukaemia

Heartbroken parents are appealing for donations to fund a fertility treatment after losing their three-year-old daughter to leukaemia.

Antony Barson and Rosie Brown, of Fernwood, lost their daughter Isla on October 19 last year.

Isla, born in 2019, was conceived via in vitro fertilisation (IVF).

She was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukaemia when she was 18 months old and went through 17 months of intensive treatments, including two bone marrow transplants.

“We were obviously absolutely devastated and life continues to be incredibly difficult without our little princess. Isla was such a happy little girl, with a brilliant vocabulary, and a smile to end all smiles,” said the mother.

The heartbroken parents, who received financial support from the NHS when conceiving Isla through fertility treatment are now appealing to the public for help to raise funds.

They set up a GoFundMe page to try and raise £5,000 for the treatment.

To donate to the page go to: https://www.gofundme.com/f/ivf-treatment-in-memory-of-our-isla?utm_campaign=p_cp+share-sheet&utm_medium=sms&utm_source=customer

“Although we know we could never replace Isla, we know we would love her to have a brother or sister.

“We have experienced three miscarriages, and each one has been heartbreaking.

“The idea of not having another child is very painful.”

In May 2021, Isla went to the doctor for a cold that wouldn't seem to go away, as well as constipation, and was prescribed for her symptoms.

After struggling to get an appointment for his daughter at Balderton Primary Care Centre on two separate occasions, Antony, an emergency medical technician with the ambulance service took Isla to Queen’s Medical Centre, Nottingham.

After running blood tests, it was revealed she had acute myeloid leukaemia.

Antony said: “The memory of her, we will never be able to move on. When we lost her we lost our purpose, but now feels like the right time to try again, to fight again.

“It was incredibly hard but now we are trying to get on our feet financially, that’s why we are asking for help towards the cost of the treatment.”

The mother added: “We were fantastic parents who supported our daughter through truly horrific treatments, one of us always at her side day and night.

“You would be helping to grow our loving family and having another child to tell about their wonderful big sister.”

Any money donated over the £5,000 target will be donated to Parents Association for Seriously Ill Children (PASICS), an association that supports East Midlands families dealing with the diagnosis and treatment of a child with cancer.