Disney birthday treat for Sophie

Thursday 10th July 2008, 11:50AM BST.

A Shropshire youngster who has suffered from cancer since she was seven years old, was today celebrating her 10th birthday in style.Sophie Foxley is marking her milestone with a trip to Euro Disney in France. She has travelled from Shrewsbury, with her mum Jane and dad Phil.

Her eighth and ninth birthdays were spent being treated for leukaemia but now she is receiving maintenance treatment her time spent in hospital is considerably less.

Sophie also visited Port Lymphne Zoo in Ashford, Kent, which featured on Sophie’s favourite television programme Roar, before travelling to the Paris theme park yesterday.

She said: “I had a really good time. My favourite bit was when we went on the African Experience. I saw lots of animals. I did rather like the big cats because they look nice. We saw loads of monkeys too.”

The youngster became famous around the world for writing her blog about suffering with the disease. She still gets 30,000 hits a week but only writes it when she has an exciting event to tell.

Mark Rogers, head teacher at Sophie’s school, said: “Sophie is an incredibly determined little girl.

“She missed nearly a whole year of education but has done incredibly well and nearly caught up all of the work by sheer determination and will-power.”

Read Sophie’s blog here.