A BRAVE toddler who is battling cancer has become a poster girl to raise awareness of the disease.

Little Ebonie-Mai Carter, aged 18 months, was chosen because of the way she has inspirationally battled the disease.

She is now a figurehead for Be Child Cancer Aware, which has just started a new campaign to raise awareness of childhood cancers.

Ebonie-Mai appears on posters on Facebook, which have reached more than 205,000 people in its first day, and her face can be seen on poster boards throughout the UK.

Mum Samiji Lang, 25, of Thornbush, Laindon, said: “Ebonie was chosen along with other children who attended Basildon Hospital to be the face of this new campaign and already it has been seen by thousands of people.

“That is a lot of awareness going on and if Ebonie is well enough to help spread the word, then we will too.

“It is heart-breaking to see a child so young having to go through this, e s p e c i a l ly your own.

“But I’m just carrying on as normal as Ebonie needs me to.

“I can’t be crying all the time.

Ebonie-Mai is hoping to take part in the Basildon walk of courage on S u n d a y , September 21, for Be Child C a n c e r Aware.

Her mum first became c o n c e r n e d about Ebonie- Mai earlier in the summer, when she noticed her legs were bowing. She raised it with her health visitors and a few weeks later the tot developed a hard lump on her bottom.

Ebonie-Mai was immediately taken to the doctors, who sent her to Basildon Hospital for X-rays and further tests. Within a week, her family were given the news she had cancer – a sacrococcygeal germ cell tumor with lung metastasis.

Samiji, 25, said: “Ebonie is doing so well.

“She’s laughing and playing with her toys. You think cancer is all about you being unwell but she’s not like that.

“I was in shockwhen they told me. I had to get the doctors to repeat themselves, because I just couldn’t take it in.

“I knew so little about cancer. You just don’t think it’s going to happen to you.”

Six weeks down the line, Ebonie is about to start her third round of chemotherapy at Great Ormond Street Hospital.

She has to go through six treatments altogether, which doctors hope will shrink the tumour enough for them to operate and remove what is left.

The cancer has also spread to Ebonie’s lungs, and doctors are hoping she will react well to the treatment and this will be eradicated without any further treatment.

Samiji said: “I want to say thank you so far for all the care and suppprt Ebonie has received from Great Ormond Street Hospital’s Elephant and Safari ward and CLIC sargent, Basildon Hospital’s Wagtail ward and Community Childrens nursing service “They are fantastic.

“We have just had so much support and I’m so grateful.”