A CHARITY auction is being held to raise money for a young Derbyshire girl who is fighting a life-threatening illness.
Six-year-old Mia Parnell suffers from a brain disease and a charity has been set up by her family to fund a list of things she wants to do.
Her health has severely deteriorated over the past year and the effect of the mystery condition on her brain is so aggressive that she now has the mental age of a three-year-old.
Proceeds from the auction this Saturday will go towards a family holiday to Lanzarote – their first trip away together.
Mia's mum, Sarah Parnell, 37, hopes enough can be raised to give her daughter the holiday she wants.
She said: "She wants to go to Lanzarote so it would be nice to take her there.
"Mia's health deteriorates a lot quicker when it's cold so it would be really nice for her if we could take her somewhere warm."
Mia's condition severely affects her cognitive functions and her development.
She was rushed to hospital in May last year with convulsions and it was found that she had severe pneumonia.
Although her illness has been classified as an undiagnosed neurodegenerative disease, doctors believe it is the cells within her muscles that have been affected.
She and her mum live with her older sister, Lydia, 16, and brother Callum, eight, in Heathway, Hatton. Mia and Callum both attend the local Heath Fields Primary School, although Mia is only there part-time. Lydia will soon begin studying at Derby College.
Sarah is Mia's full-time carer and admitted the situation had been tough on the family.
She said: "It is just about keeping that smile on her face.
"The kids are fantastic and I need to stay strong for all of them."
The Make a Wish Foundation is taking Mia to Disneyland Paris, next month – another thing on her list.
And Sarah has organised the auction for this Saturday at the Beacon Hotel in Burton at 8pm to raise funds for a future trip to Lanzarote in the Canary Islands.
"We have got some signed Derby County shirts, as well as some from Burton Albion, Aston Villa and West Bromwich Albion," she said.
"There is also a trip for 25 people to Unreal Paintballs in Stoke for a full day and we've had plenty of other fantastic things donated to the auction.
"It is growing by the day and has become bigger than we imagined, so it should be a good day."
