A FOUR-YEAR-OLD girl who won hearts across the region with her brave battle against cancer has lost her fight for life.

Emily Guiney seemed to be on the mend after her parents gambled on surgery.

In a risky operation just before Christmas, doctors were able to remove 95 per cent of a malignant tumour from the base of her brain - a cancer originally diagnosed as inoperable.

Emily also lost a kidney to the disease.

But she fell ill on Wednesday and was taken to hospital near her home in Stevenston, Ayrshire, where she slipped into a coma.

After a subsequent examination revealed Emily was unlikely to regain consciousness, her mother, Caroline Black, opted to take her home.

She died soon afterwards with her family around her.

Her grandmother, Maggie Guiney, who lives in Richmond, North Yorkshire, said knowing that Emily had been happy during the last few months of her life was a comfort to them all.

Even recently, she was still talking about her trip to Disneyworld in October, where she met Mickey Mouse and swam with dolphins.

The cost of the holiday for the whole family was covered by an appeal launched in the North-East by Mrs Guiney last September, which raised £10,000 in just three weeks.

"We would all like to thank everyone who contributed once again," said Mrs Guiney.

"At least we can remember a brave little girl with a bright smile and we can say we have some happy memories to look back on.'