A BRAVE young girl whose father died after a battle with leukaemia has taken the fight to beat cancer in a very personal way.

Three years ago, 11-year-old Eduarda Lima and her younger brother Gustavo were dealt the cruellest of blows with the loss of their dad.

The pair have been adopted by their aunt and uncle but losing her precious father has made Eduarda want to support others with cancer.

So yesterday, she had a full 12 inches chopped off her waist length hair in an effort to help other young children suffering from diseases similar to that which claimed the life of her father.

Eduarda said: “I’ve been growing my hair for a long time, since I was eight years old.

“I wasn’t nervous, I decided two weeks ago to get this done and I’m happy I did it.”

Her hair will now be sent off to the Little Princess Trust, a charity that turns donated hair into free wigs for children who have lost their hair as a result of treatment for leukaemia and various other forms of cancer.

For Eduarda, the choice to give up her long locks to benefit others was an easy one.

“I just think that all those children should have the same chance to have hair as we do,” she said.

The Hardenhuish School pupil, who lives in Chippenham, underwent the big transformation at Celia’s Hair and Beauty in Swindon’s Commercial Road where the owner, Celia Allen, opened her doors on a Sunday just for this special occasion.

Although it was Celia’s first experience of cutting hair for donation as a wig, her own experience with cancer meant it was a cause she was more than willing to support.

“Last Saturday I lost my best friend, Gisele Burigo,” said Celia.

“She died of cancer. She used to come here to the salon from Bristol to have her hair done.

“Two years ago she found out she had cancer.

“She had chemotherapy, it was very hard for her and she lost her hair.

“I’m very happy to see young people deciding to cut their hair to give it away to people who have had cancer.”

The past year has seen a steep increase in the number of people deciding to brave the chop to help provide wigs for children with cancer.

The #hairtospare campaign has caught the imagination of the country and with the help of celebrity involvement — the likes of Jessie J and even One Direction’s Harry Styles have both donated their hair — the group’s reach has gone from strength to strength.

In addition to their main role of turning hair into wigs, the Little Princess Trust have also been able to use some of the money they have raised to begin funding eight research projects which are aimed at supporting the development of less aggressive and less toxic cancer treatments for children.