THE family of a beautiful “little diva” with dreams of becoming a paramedic has been shattered by her death just weeks after she was diagnosed with a brain tumour.
Evie-Leigh Cormack, 11, was looking forward to starting secondary school at Dyke House Academy in County Durham when she suddenly got sick.
The former St Aidan’s Primary School pupil’s had experienced headaches, sickness, double vision and loss of balance.
Doctors working to find what was wrong were eventually dealt a devastating blow when they discovered she had a terminal malignant brain tumour.
Known for her “sass”, Evie-Leigh bravely battled her condition, but died this week at RVI Hospital in Newcastle.
Evie-Leigh, who always wanted to help others, loved nothing more than spending time with her family, mum, Perri-Leigh Littler, 29, dad Matthew Cormack, 31, sister Lillie, 10, and four-year-old brother, Matthew.
Her family and friends have been left devastated by her loss.
Evie’s parents said their daughter, who loved shopping, cinema and caring for the family’s five dogs, had been able to go to her new school for an hour to spend time with her friends.
They said: “Evie was known for being a little diva, always dancing around doing TikToks.
“She used to love being the mother figure to her little brother Matthew and was a perfect role model for her younger sister Lillie.
“She loved to keep her mam and dad on their toes with her attitude and her sass – something that made Evie stand out and something her family and friends would never change for the world and certainly will never forget.”
Evie will be remembered as a “really bright kid” who really got stuck in, they said.
She was motivated to start secondary school to get the best grades so she could become a paramedic when she left school.
Her parents said: “She was so pleased when she had the opportunity to spend the day with the emergency services just a few weeks before she passed away and this definitely made her mind up with the career path she wanted to take.
“She was always a kid that would be there to help anyone.”
Shortly after becoming ill Evie-Leigh was diagnosed with DIPG (diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma) – an aggressive form of childhood brain cancer.
There is no effective treatment and no chance of survival.
In a bid to offer practical support to the youngster’s family, friends at Hartlepool St Francis FC, where Evie-Leigh’s uncle is a coach, have set up a fund-raising page to ease worries of funeral costs.
Donations have flooded in already, pulling in more than £5,770 in just a couple of days.
Anyone who would like to make a contribution but can do so here.
