SHE is a little miracle whose bravery saw her through major surgery she was not expected to survive.

Sophie Barringer's amazing courage is also helping her to cope with a punishing regime of intensive chemotherapy treatment.

If she's lucky, the six-year-old has just two weeks out of five when she is not in hospital.

But the Hampshire youngster with a zest for life doesn't let that get her down.

When she is well enough she loves going to Norwood Primary School in Eastleigh and recently attended a disco there complete with a new wig which she adores.

The youngster also enjoys swimming, going to Rainbows as often as possible and fighting with her big brothers.

In fact, even when she is poorly Sophie just keeps going until she just can't do any more.

Parents Mike and Lin and brothers Nathan, 21, and Adam, 19, are all naturally proud of the strength and courage which Sophie has shown in her fight to beat cancer.

But everyone who comes into contact with the brave little girl is won over by her spirit and will to live.

The head teacher of Norwood Primary School, Donna Shave, said: "I call her my heroine. She has such inner strength and steel.

"The amount of learning it has caused the whole school is amazing. We are learning about courage and getting on with life even though it is scary."

Miss Shave added: "Sophie just carries on. She astounds us all - we just look at her in absolute amazement."

Now, people in their hundreds are rallying to support a special charity which has been launched in Sophie's name to raise funds for the Piam Brown ward at Southampton General Hospital where the youngster has received the majority of her hospital care.

It was last September when Sophie, of Desborough Road, Eastleigh, was diagnosed with advanced cancer of the kidney.

The disease spread into veins, her liver and also into her heart and by December she faced major surgery.

"The ten hours she was in theatre was the longest wait we have ever had to endure and the few days afterwards were nightmarish, waiting for her to come off the ventilator and out of intensive care," said her parents.

In truth, the chances were slim that Sophie would survive the operation which removed her left kidney, and peeled cancer away from her heart, her liver and right kidney.

"It was touch and go whether she came through that, but she was out of hospital less than a week after she was operated on. I think she is a little miracle," said Mike, who works as airside operations manager at Southampton International Airport.

To keep her mind busy prior to the operation, Lin and a few friends organised a Christmas party for Sophie and her friends.

Through the event and a well-supported raffle, they managed to raise £2,770 for the Piam Brown ward.

Following that, Mike and Lin set up Sophie's Appeal and have organised a Summer Ball at the Rose Bowl in West End on Saturday evening.

All 350 tickets, costing £25 each, for the event at the home of Hampshire cricket have already been snapped up and the couple are hoping to raise £10,000.

"We just wanted to put something back. We all just go on with our lives until something like this hits you in the face and you suddenly realise what goes on in places like the Piam Brown ward. They have just done so much for us so far and we are so grateful," they explained.

It has been an emotional rollercoaster for the family and they know they are not through their ordeal yet. But they are hoping that the magnificent support from family, friends and work colleagues plus the care and expertise at the hospital will help Sophie beat the disease.

Sophie is fully aware that she has cancer but is the first person to say she wants to help others with the same illness.

Last July she and Lin ran in the Race for Life at Southampton Common - and the plucky youngster is aiming to take part again this year.

Anyone wanting to support Sophie's Appeal should contact Steve Flux at the Daily Echo's Eastleigh office on 023 8061 4271.