- Olivia and mother touched down in Scotland two days ago and taken to the Royal Aberdeen Children's Hospital
- She was diagnosed with rare form of disease in 2009
By Claire Bates
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Peaceful: Olivia died in the early hours of Friday morning
A terminally-ill seven-year-old girl who travelled to Mexico for specialist cancer treatment has died two days after returning to Scotland. Olivia Downie died peacefully in the early hours of this morning.
Her family said they were 'blessed' to have had her in their lives.
Olivia and her family, from Fraserburgh in Aberdeenshire, flew to the Central American country earlier this month to get her treatment for neuroblastoma, an aggressive form of cancer.
While there, she fell seriously ill and her family was told she would need expensive medical treatment on any flight home.
Olivia, her mother Lauren and father Steven touched down in Aberdeen on a medical plane on Wednesday after a fundraising drive helped meet the 110,000 cost. She was taken straight to Royal Aberdeen Children's Hospital.
In a statement released through NHS Grampian, her parents said: 'It is with great sadness that we announce that our darling daughter Olivia slipped away peacefully this morning after her long and courageous battle.
'We are so thankful that, thanks to the generosity of so many people, we have been able to take her home to Scotland so she could have her family by her side. Words cannot express how grateful we are that this final journey was made possible.
'We would like to extend our gratitude to the medical and nursing teams, both at NHS Grampian and overseas, who have also been part of our lives for so long.
'We were blessed to have had Olivia in our lives and her cheeky smile that shone like a star will be with us forever.'
The charity Families Against Neuroblastoma (Fan) helped the family with fundraising to bring her home. Almost 155,000 was donated through a JustGiving page set up to raise money for their flights and medical costs.
However, last weekend, online problems with NatWest bank delayed pledged funds from appearing in the charity's account, although FAN said the bank worked all day to resolve the issue. The medical bill for the hospital in Mexico was eventually settled.
Olivia and her family returned to Scotland on a private ambulance thanks to funding raised by people touched by her story
Olivia pictured at home during her battle with cancer. She was diagnosed in 2009
Olivia was diagnosed in January 2009 after suffering severe backache and tiredness. Following visits to GPs, she was taken to Royal Aberdeen Children's Hospital and diagnosed with neuroblastoma.
Fan said Olivia had a tumour the size of a grapefruit in her stomach.
Neuroblastoma is a cancer of the nervous system and can occur anywhere in the body. Fewer than 100 children are diagnosed with it each year in the UK and most who suffer from it are younger than five years old.
The charity now has a petition calling for a campaign to raise awareness of the illness.
It states: 'We are requesting a Government-funded awareness campaign to educate the public to recognise the signs and symptoms of neuroblastoma, and empower parents and GPs to adopt a policy of early testing when symptoms first present.'
There had been fears that doctors in Mexico would turn Olivia's life support machine off if funding had not been raised
At one point father Steven and mother Lauren, who is heavily pregnant, were told that the hospital had not received the money due to a NatWest glitch
Happier times: Olivia, before she was first diagnosed with cancer in 2009, with mother Lauren
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