Glemsford family ‘overwhelmed’ after community raises £12,000 for Amelia Frost, 11, following brain tumour diagnosis
The family of an 11-year-old girl who was diagnosed with a rare brain tumour after a routine eye test have been left ‘overwhelmed’ by the response of the community which has raised thousands of pounds.
Amelia Frost, of Glemsford, was diagnosed with an intracranial Germinoma tumour earlier this year after initially visiting the opticians in August 2024 for an eye test due to recurring headaches.
The optician spotted pale optic discs which prompted a referral to Colchester Hospital and following months of tests and an MRI scan in January, she was found to have bilateral optic nerve atrophy — damage which has severely impaired her vision and cannot be repaired.
In March, after a 10-day stay at Addenbrooke’s Hospital, doctors discovered a tumour on her brain. A biopsy later confirmed it was a Germinoma — a rare grade 2 tumour which cannot be safely removed without causing further problems due to its location
Amelia has also been diagnosed with adrenal insufficiency, also known as Addison’s disease, meaning her adrenal glands do not produce enough hormones and she must now manage the condition with medication.
“We’ve found it hard to take it all in," said her dad, Andy Frost, 37. “But the only thing that affected Ameilia is being apart from us for 10 days, especially her eight-year-old sister, Isla."
“She has been very brave – she hasn’t let anything get to her and has got on with her appointments as best she can."
A treatment plan is now in place which included weeks of chemotherapy at Addenbrooke’s and the Stour Valley Community School pupil is now set to start four to six weeks of proton beam radiotherapy in London.
Amelia’s grandparents launched a GoFundMe campaign to help the family adapt their home to better support her needs in the future and to ease the financial pressure of travel, hospital visits and lost income.
So far, the fund-raising page has generated £7,190.
In addition, a community event hosted at The Angel pub in Glemsford, supported by landlords Mick and Debbie Broadbent, raised another £5,540 for the family — bringing the total to £12,730.
Donations can still be made through the family’s GoFundMe page which can be found by clicking here.
In a statement, Amelia's family said: "We would just like to say on behalf of Andy, Sophie, Amelia, and Isla and all of the family a huge thank you again to Debbie, Mick, and all the staff for all the hard work they have put in for the fund-raising afternoon for Amelia.
"It was truly overwhelming to see so many people come and support the event for Amelia.
"Andy, Sophie, and us all are absolutely blown away with the astonishing final amount that was raised and how truly grateful we are for everyone’s generosity."
