Baby's rare cancer changed family's life says mum

The mother of baby who was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer before she was two weeks old says her "life was turned upside down" after her daughter's diagnosis.

Ariyah from Bristol, who is aged two, has had her left eye removed to save her life and this year was diagnosed with an "extremely rare brain cancer" called pineoblastoma.

She turns three in June and will need to spend her birthday in hospital recovering from an intensive round of chemotherapy. Her mum Amarah is organising 100 birthday cards from all over the world to celebrate her special day.

"In years to come we can look back on this journey and she will see what an inspiration she is to so many," she said.

Amarah said in December 2025 "my precious girl finally got her moment", marking what the family believed was two years of her daughter being cancer free.

"After everything she had been through it felt like she could finally just be a child again," she added.

Amarah started documenting her daughter's journey on Titktok to share the story of her recovery.

Medical professionals said Ariyah had chromosome deletion, which means she is missing some genetic material. The severity and symptoms of this condition depend on which genes are lost.

"I had been told that she would likely be severely delayed, affecting her speech, movement, and overall development," Amarah said.

But Ariyah has been defying every expectation. "She can sit up, crawl, talk - just normal things," her mother added.

"The only thing she can't do is walk."

But in January 2026 doctors said Ariyah had Pineoblastoma which is an "aggressive" tumour in her pineal gland.

Since then she has undergone five intensive rounds of chemotherapy to treat this cancer, and will spend her third birthday in hospital.

Amarah said she wants this birthday to be special and has continued to post about Ariyah on social media, gaining a huge following in the process.

"Everyone loves Ariyah on the internet," she added, with people following her from as far afield as South Africa, Vietnam, Canada and New Zealand.

She has invited Ariyah's fans to send her a birthday card - the goal is to have at least 100 cards from around the world.

The cards are being sent to the Downend Tavern in Bristol after the landlord got involved when he read about her story.

"Tiktok has shown what an inspiration she is to everyone," Amarah said.

"We have had such amazing support on this platform and the love and prayers we have received have touched me and my family in ways you cannot imagine."

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