A HEARTBROKEN mother from Chippenham has spoken of her struggle to cope with her two-year-old daughter's diagnosis of leukaemia without the daily support of her husband.

Parents Lisa Lock and Karl Robinson were told their two-year-old daughter Bella had a form of cancer at Bristol Children's Hospital on November 1, following an agonising month of hospital visits, doctors' appointments, ultrasounds and X-rays, after she fell from a chair in their home in Centurion Close.

Now friends have launched a fundraising page in a bid to allow car mechanic Mr Robinson, 30, to stay with his wife at the hospital rather than working to make ends meet.

Ms Lock, 26, said: "When they told me she had cancer, I can't even remember was day it was, I was in complete shock. She was playing and she was so happy and laughing and that was, and still is, the only thing getting me through this.

"There is a numb feeling in my body. There is nothing left. When you have a child you as parents make a pact with them and to do this on my own is so hard. We need him and she needs him."

Although Bella has been undergoing treatment for the last two weeks, her father is going days without seeing his little girl so he can continue being the breadwinner.

"He is struggling," the beautician admitted. "He won't tell me anything. I know he tries to be strong and he wants to be my rock but I know he has a lot of good friends and I know they are behind the scenes helping him. It is going to be a long journey."

To try and help the family, friends have set up a JustGiving page that will help support the family and allow them both to spend time with their daughter at the hospital and pay for any additional treatments, something which Miss Lock has described as amazing.

Samantha Neale, who has been friends with the couple for ten years, and is involved with the fundraiser, said: "It always comes back to the fact that he needs to be with his daughter. It is really difficult. They are both coping as much as they can and as friends we do so much to help but we want to do more.

"All we really want is a magic wand but we do not have one of those. I am so incredibly proud of them and how they have been taking it. We can't make Bella better but we can do our best to help."

For more information or to donate visit www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/bellasfund.