'Our daughter, 7, asked heartbreaking question when doctor gave devastating news'

A seven-year-old girl is facing a fight against stage 4 cancer after medics initially believed her symptoms were simply an "irritable hip". Hollie Korol and Ben Fountain first spotted that their daughter Isla was unusually exhausted, shedding weight and experiencing aches back in March this year.

They suspected she might be enduring growing pains and doctors diagnosed transient synovitis - or "irritable hip" - a temporary inflammation commonly associated with childhood infections. However, Isla's condition deteriorated and soon she was battling soaring temperatures and what her parents described as "heat that radiated from her abdomen and lower back."

Ben and Hollie raced her back to hospital where an ultrasound revealed the unthinkable; Isla had cancer. Medics confirmed stage 4 high-risk neuroblastoma, a tumour above her left kidney with lesions in her bones, particularly her legs and pelvis.

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At the beginning of treatment, 95% of her bone marrow was affected by disease. Her parents, who are separated, said their world "came crashing down".

"Personally, I had a feeling that it was more sinister than just an irritable hip, but nothing ever prepares you for those words. You never think it will happen to you," Hollie said.

Ben described it as the most devastating moment of his life. "It's the most heartbreaking thing for a parent to hear," he said.

"How can such a beautiful, kind, caring, intelligent, amazing young child so full of love and life have such an awful disease?" Ben and Hollie, still reeling from their own shock, had the heart-wrenching task of explaining Isla's diagnosis to her.

"Isla knows what cancer is. However, all she knew was that when we lost our family boxer dog, Hank in August, that is how we lost him," Hollie said. "So, of course, she had questions and when she asked me if she was going to die that was another question I never thought I'd have to answer."

Hollie comforted her by saying that doctors were doing everything they could to make her better. "What else can you say?" she added.

Isla was diagnosed at Portsmouth's Queen Alexandra Hospital and initially, her doctor referred to the illness as "c" to spare her any distress.

But Ben said: "Isla doesn't miss a trick. She immediately stopped playing her game on her tablet and asked several times, 'What is c, mummy? What is c, daddy?' When we told her that c meant cancer, that was when it really hit home for me."

The couple were warned that aggressive treatment would be needed, including high-dose chemotherapy, radiation and stem cell transplants. To date, brave Isla has completed eight rounds of chemotherapy.

Ben and Hollie confessed that nothing could have prepared them for this ordeal, and the only way they're managing is because there isn't a choice. In August, Isla underwent surgery to remove and freeze her right ovary to safeguard her future fertility.

Next comes stem cell harvesting, further chemotherapy and immunotherapy, followed by a transplant, surgery to remove the tumour, radiation and rehabilitation. Treatment has left Isla immunocompromised, limiting what she can do.

Hollie, co-owner of Mooeys salons in Petersfield, Hampshire, said providing emotional support has been another challenge.

"She had to stop going to school and missed out on the final couple of months of infant school," she said. "She had to stop her swimming lessons, she misses her friends and family. I think the best way to deal with it is to just honestly sit back and think 'she's entitled to feel like this' give her the time to compose and she will come around."

Ben, a payroll specialist in Chichester, West Sussex, added that they had no choice but to be strong for their daughter. "At the end of the day, Hollie and I are both trying to be as strong as we possibly can be for Isla," he said.

"This is obviously easier said than done. For the first few weeks I cried every single time I drove to and from the hospital to see Isla. After a while, though, you come to accept that you don't have a choice in this and neither did Isla and we just have to keep trying to do the very best we can and be as strong as we can be, for her."

Despite everything, Isla has demonstrated remarkable bravery. "I am completely in awe of her and how she has handled everything. She is strong and she is resilient," Hollie said.

"One thing I will never forget is that while Isla was going through gruelling treatment, she was in pain but she looked to me and asked me if I was okay because she saw me tear up and that made me so proud."

Ben added: "She has always kept her cheeky sass and is forever making us laugh - this for me keeps me believing that she has the fight in her to beat this."

Both parents depend on backing from partners, family and workmates as they tackle the emotional and financial burden. Ben recently went back to work because he "cannot afford not to", but said the system made life tougher than it ought to be.

"You have to complete endless forms, wait months for them to be approved and then receive very little is, at best, poor," he said. "I know this is something local cancer charities are trying to bring to attention. The choice between keeping a roof over your head versus spending time with your child in a life-or-death situation is not a choice any parent should be having to worry about."

Despite their split, Hollie and Ben stay united in backing their daughter. "I believe that Ben and I have become closer in this ordeal. Ben is a great dad, there is no denying that," said Hollie.

Adding that Hollie is an "amazing mum", Ben said: "We were married for six years, despite this not working out how we envisaged, we have always both co-parented really well as a team and seeing how amazing Isla is, she is a credit to us both."

Ben also stressed the significance of acknowledging fathers who share custody of their children. "Whether dads have 20/30/40/50 per cent custody, it should not matter – Hollie and I both love Isla equally and I know that goes the same for all of the other separated and single parents out there too," he said.

For now, their attention turns to the next phase of treatment and remaining resilient for their little girl. Neuroblastoma returns in almost half of cases. If it does, fewer than one in ten children survive, according to Solving Kids' Cancer.

Ben and Hollie have found a vaccine in America, the Bivalent vaccine, which has demonstrated encouraging results in preventing relapse. Created to teach the immune system to identify and destroy cancer cells, it carries an eye-watering $733,248 (£542,592) price tag for a six-month course.

This does not include flights or accommodation. To help cover this enormous expense, the family has set up a fundraising page.