This is Staffordshire --AN 11-year-old girl with an inoperable brain tumour fulfilled her dreams of meeting boy band One Direction and experiencing the magic of Disneyland just weeks before she died.
The funeral of Olivia Perry, of Dividy Road, Bentilee, is set to take place today at Our Lady and St Werburgh RC Church in Clayton at 11am.
The youngster, who endured months of radiotherapy and chemotherapy, had one of her final wishes granted after staff and pupils at Our Lady & St Werburgh Primary School raised enough money to send the family on holiday to Disneyland Paris.
One Direction fan Olivia also got to meet her idols through Rays of Sunshine Children's Charity in March.
The youngster was diagnosed with a inoperable brain tumour two years ago. Five weeks ago doctors told her parents, Andrea and Jason, that there was nothing else they could do for their daughter.
Now, tributes have been paid to the "kind-hearted and "loving" little girl.
Jason, aged 35, who works as a HGV driver, said: "Olivia was a kind-hearted girl who touched so many people's lives. She always thought of others before herself and she had been so strong despite everything she had been through.
"No matter how ill she was, she could always raise a smile for me when I went to see her in hospital.
"Olivia absolutely adored her seven-year-old brother William and three-year-old sister Harriet, and the reason she wanted to go to Disneyland was so she could take Harriet to meet her favourite characters Pluto and Chip and Dale.
"We had such an amazing time there last month, and it was great seeing Olivia laughing and having lots of fun. Although she wasn't her normal self, it felt like we were seeing glimpses of the old Olivia.
"We can't thank the school enough for their support."
Olivia was nine when she was diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumour in October 2011. Her parents took her to see the doctors when she started suffering from headaches and nausea.
Andrea, aged 33, said: "When we first went to the doctors in May 2011, they thought her sickness was just caused by acid reflux. She was given some medicine, but she was still being sick every day.
"I took her to the doctors again and when they sent her for an MRI scan, I knew that something was seriously wrong.
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"When the results came back, the doctors confirmed that Olivia had a tumour inside her brain. Although it was benign, it was deep inside so they couldn't operate on it."
Olivia was transferred to Alder Hey Children's Hospital and was put on a course of daily radiotherapy and chemotherapy.
Andrea said: "She seemed to cope with the treatment quite well, but a few months later her condition seemed to be deteriorating.
"Her speech was becoming slurred and the right side of her face dropped. Her legs also became very weak, so it was difficult for her to walk.
"However, no matter how she was feeling, Oliva insisted on going to school. She loved her teachers and being with her friends and she hated the fact she had to have so much time off. She just wanted to be normal."
Andrea added: "We had always been honest with Olivia straight from the beginning, so when the doctors told us there was nothing else they could do, I told Olivia that the doctors couldn't fix the tumour in her brain.
"It was so hard, but all she asked me was 'Does that mean I can't go to school anymore?' About five weeks later she was struggling to breathe, so we knew that we were going to lose her.
"We had two community nurses called Jo and Holly who came out to stay with her in the last couple days. They were brilliant and gave us so much support as a family.
"Jason and I stayed by her bedside and we both talked to her about all the fun times we had together.
"Olivia had been through so much and we just take comfort from the fact she is at peace now.
"We have told William and Harriet that she is in heaven now." Reported by This is 15 hours ago.