'No treatment' girl in remission

Leah-Beth was diagnosed with cancer when she was two

An eight-year-old girl who decided to stop treatment for a rare kidney cancer is in remission.

Leah-Beth Richards, from Beddau near Pontypridd, has been battling Wilms Tumour since she was two.

In December, her family said they respected her decision and wanted her to enjoy life without pain, despite being advised to continue radiotherapy.

But her mother Kathryn has said she is "in the clouds" after a recent scan did not show symptoms of cancer.

She told the Pontypridd and Llantrisant Observer: "I had a call to say that the MRI scan and chest x-ray had come back clear.

"I was crying and my oldest daughter came rushing in to ask what was wrong, but I was speechless.

"I just said, 'There's no cancer in her stomach.'

"We're up in the clouds but I know that it might come back. If it does we'll just keep going."

Since being told the news, Leah-Beth has returned to school.

"She's so happy - it's awesome to see her skipping up the stairs without me carrying her," added Mrs Richards.

The rare cancer affects the kidneys and only develops in around 70 children in the UK each year.

Remission means that symptoms of the disease are no longer present.

Leah-Beth has been in remission twice, but suffered a relapse and was being treated at the Children's Hospital of Wales in Cardiff until she told her family she wanted to stop the treatment.

Medical staff advised against the decision but said they would not continue treatment without consent.