Brentwood Gazette readers have rallied round to raise cash to help a young Syrian girl disfigured by a rare skin complaint.

The paper first reported five-year-old Mirelle Sabbagh's plight in November after being told of it by her great-aunt, who lives in Brentwood.

Shortly after Mirelle's birth it was found she suffered from an extreme form of hemangioma, a rare genetic condition that produces spongy eruptions on the skin.

Since then the Mirelle Sabbagh Surgery Fund has been set up and so far more than £11,000 has been raised to help efforts to ease her condition.

The money raised has already enabled her to visit Britain for a consultation with doctors at Broomfield Hospital in Chelmsford, and in the meantime has paid for camouflage make-up, which has boosted her self-confidence.

But it could be two years until she is the right age for treatment.

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