'˜Kira the Machine always aims high' Family express delight after successful surgery

The family of Kira Noble have taken to Facebook to confirm that the surgery to save her life was completed successfully after almost 7 hours.

The 14-year-old has already endured six rounds of chemotherapy, major abdominal surgery, radiotherapy as well as taking oral drugs.

Kira, who has been battling the aggressive neuroblastoma since she was 11 years old, finally underwent surgery at around 4.30pm UK time yesterday to remove her remaining growth under the hand sof a world-renowned surgeon at the at the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Centre in New York.

School friends, family and strangers managed to raise £350,000 in just three weeks for the life-saving surgery.

Kira Noble outside the hospital in New York.

Writing on Facebook from New York, where Kira had travelled for surgery following fundraising, her family wrote on the Kira the Machine Facebook page:

“This gorgeous girl left the Surgical Admission Ward at 10:45am today to go to the O/R and actual surgery commenced at 12noon New York time .

“A post op meeting with our NY surgeon took place at 18:45 here and confirmed that all her tumour was taken out successfully after 6.75 hours of surgery.

A three week campaign was launched for Kira Noble

“Obviously a follow up scan will take place to clarify this news and more treatment will be put in place to deal with any remaining microscopic cells that could be hanging around.

“I cannot describe my feelings as being relieved - it’s more a case of I believed in this all along. I believed in the skills of this surgeon and felt confident in his unsurpassable skills in resecting challenging tumours .

“My unfaltering confidence remained with me all day long -my hope and my belief remained strong throughout.

“So so happy and proud to share with you amazing people this fantastic news that you all made possible with your fundraising efforts to help us make it here to NYC . #KiratheMachine always aims high ; thinks big and reaches for her dreams.

“She will be delighted to learn that surgery was a success after travelling all the way to NYC in the middle of her third journey with Neuroblastoma.

“Thank you to our home Oncologist for supporting us in this decision and to all our Edinburgh Medical Team. Can’t wait to see Kira in PICU any minute - her surgeon has given her the incredible news and he tells me that she smiled.

“Such a great day,”