Dad's charity bike ride to help hospital heroes

RELAXING with his young daughter on holiday, Paul Tierney could never have imagined the nightmare that was about to unfold.

- THOMAS GEORGE

The dad-of-two had taken his children away to Majorca for a week-long family break last October. But within days of returning home, Paul received the news every parent dreads.

After his seven-year-old daughter, Lottie, suddenly fell ill, she was taken to hospital, where doctors discovered she had a brain tumour. Following further tests, Lottie was diagnosed with Ewing Sarcoma - a rare form of cancer that affects bones and the tissue around them.

"There were no symptoms," said Paul, from Middleton. "We'd just been in Majorca messing about in a hot tub then a couple of days later somebody is telling you she has cancer. It was literally out of the blue."

Paul, Lottie and her older brother Jake flew back to Manchester on October 31 last year. Two days later, Paul was at work when he received a concerned WhatsApp message from Lottie's mother, Claire.

It contained a video which appeared to show Lottie in pain, and struggling to put weight on her left foot. Paul said he initially thought she may have suffered a trapped nerve.