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Faye Fantarrow: 'Onwards and upwards' after initial treatment

A singer diagnosed with a rare brain tumour has completed her first course of treatment in the US.

A fundraiser set up to help with the cost of Faye Fantarrow's treatment has raised half of the money needed.

She was working with Dave Stewart on an EP in August when she was told she had an aggressive tumour.

The 20-year-old from Sunderland described support from the north-east England music scene as "incredible" ahead of another fundraising gig later.

The singer had been due to perform at the show, at the city's Fire Station venue, but announced on Thursday she was "absolutely heartbroken" she was not well enough to take part but would still be there.

She said she had chosen all the artists - including Field Music and Tom A Smith - herself and could not thank the local artists enough.

"I admire them all so much, it's incredible local talent and I'm so grateful for them getting together," she said.

"The moral support I've had has been incredible and I don't know where I'd be without it, I feel very, very lucky at the minute."

The singer, who had cancer twice as a child, had her initial cell collection treatment - or CAR-T cell treatment - at City of Hope hospital in Duarte, California, the only place where it is available, on the advice of doctors in Newcastle.

"I've had the initial cell collection and I was very glad to get that step in process and now it's a case of waiting as the cell collection won't work unless the tumour starts to grow again," she said.

"I'll now have regular scans in the UK and as soon as they say the tumour growth had taken place then I'll go back to America to get the cells put back into my brain."

She has been helped financially by the Sunderland-born Eurythmics musician Dave Stewart, who she had been working with in the Caribbean when she became unwell.

She said her next aim was to get back to performing.

"I want to throw myself back into the scene, gigging as much as I can and me and Dave Stewart are looking to release my first single from the EP we were working on, so it's onwards and upwards I hope," she added.  

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