A LITTLE girl with a rare illness is defying her condition and taking on her own Christmas fundraising mission to help other poorly children.

Bethany Hambleton, nine, suffers from Ehlers Danlos Type III – a disorder which means she has to have constant physiotherapy.

Parents Roger and Deborah, both 38, have set up Beth’s Fund to buy muchneeded equipment to make Bethany’s life easier as her condition progresses with fundraising nights raising thousands of pounds already.

Now, after finding out about the fundraising, Bethany wants to do her bit.

She has asked friends and family to donate presents to Basildon Hospital’s children’s ward to help other sick youngsters.

Dad Roger, of Helmores, Laindon, said: “We are all so proud of her.

“Bethany is an amazing little girl.

“She certainly keeps me and my wife going without a shadow of a doubt.”

Bethany’s condition means she has to wear special boots to support her ankles and splints to support her wrists.

She cannot eat food and is fed through a feeding tube, which she constantly carries in a backpack.

Bethany’s specific strain of the illness, type III, means her joints are noticeably loose, flexible and sometimes painful.

Roger said: “She’s really been like this since birth. It’s very difficult for her, but she’s so positive.

“She is often really weak and her stomach just can’t tolerate any real food.”

Bethany spends a lot of time at Basildon Hospital. Her campaign to buy toys for the children on the ward has seen her set up an Amazon wishlist.

Roger said: “We have been completely inundated. People are so generous.”

The toys will be put in the ward’s play room over the coming weeks.

To find out more, visit www.gofundme.com/4s3vbw or search for Beth’s Fund on Facebook.