We thought our daughter was just tiny... but she really had one of the rarest disorders in the world

22.01.2022 - 13:15 / manchestereveningnews.co.uk

A little girl with an extremely rare condition is battling cancer for the third time – despite only being five years old.

Holly Prince was first diagnosed with Bloom Syndrome after her family noticed she was growing slowly.

The youngster, from Hindley, is just one of 300 people who suffer from the rare disorder worldwide.

People with the condition can be of unusually small size, have sensitivity to sunlight, immune system deficiencies and an extraordinarily high risk of developing cancer.

Currently, there is no cure for Bloom Syndrome. The average life expectancy is 27.

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Holly was three when her parents Mark and Jenny received the diagnosis in March 2020.

Just months later, she developed a rare kidney cancer and had to undergo seven rounds of chemotherapy.

Holly had her kidney removed and was declared cancer-free in summer 2021.

But her parents’ worst fears were realised when the tumour returned weeks later.

The youngster then had to be placed on a radiotherapy programme which saw her have treatment every day for 15 days.

Further scans then showed two more tumours in her body.

Her dad, Mark Prince, told the Manchester Evening News: “When health visitors came, she was always under the average line.

“She wasn't growing as fast as she should. She was small.

“Then she was referred to doctors in Manchester.

“You see the adverts on telly of children with cancer and you never think it will happen to you – and bang, we’re in the middle of it.

“You’ve just got to get on with it.

“We’re both positive people. We’ve got a good support network of family and friends.”

Holly is currently undergoing a different type of