Eleven-year-old Evie Owens, from Washington, who was diagnosed with a rare childhood cancer after slipping in a puddle, dreams of feeling like a princess for the day. Her family say treatment options are running out after a brave two-and-a-half-year battle with Alveolar Rhabdomyosarcoma, a fast-growing soft tissue sarcoma, diagnosed in May 2024.
Evie's mum, Tara Owens, described her daughter as "an absolute warrior" who has been "one of the bravest children I've ever met and nothing phases her." She added: "She goes on day-to-day as if it's a normal day. Just like somebody getting up and going to school, because that's their routine, getting up and going to the hospital is her norm now."
Wish list includes prom, DisneyLand Paris, and driving a car
Knowing she has reached her fifth and final treatment option, Evie has started creating a wish list with her family, detailing things she would love to do. This includes a prom, a trip to DisneyLand Paris, and driving a car.
Thanks to a donation from a local business, Evie has already secured a dress for her Disney-themed prom. Her family now need to find a venue - ideally a hotel with a ground-floor function room suitable for around 100 guests - for Evie's special day.
Tara said: "Evie looks a million dollars in the dress. When she put on the dress it was emotional seeing her and how beautiful she looked and how happy and relaxed she looked in it. It was also the reality of knowing why we were there... she was doing this five years earlier than she should have been, because of cancer."
Prom to fund DisneyLand Paris insurance
The idea to hold a prom for Evie originated from her wish to be a princess for the day. Her family plans to make the prom a ticketed event so that money generated from ticket sales can be used to fund the approximately £2,500 insurance cover needed to take Evie to DisneyLand Paris.
Tara said: "A big thing that girls tend to look forward to is a prom when they leave school and based on the situation we knew that she wasn't going to be able to attend that, so we thought we would bring the prom to Evie. We're going to make it a Disney-themed prom and make her feel like a princess for the day. She's not going to have a wedding or a prom so we want to combine it all into one day just to make her feel special and not to have all the hangover of the ward, the hospital and just to be able to be normal for a day."
She added: "Evie deserves to be a child. She deserves to make memories and laugh until her belly hurts and just do what normal children do. Unfortunately, we've been pushed to make all our memories in such a short space of time, rather than over the amount of time we would have had."
To help the family achieve Evie's wish list and to help cover funeral costs in the future, Evie's auntie has launched a GoFundMe page, which has already raised over £5,000. For more information and how to donate, visit this link.
Slipping in a puddle led to diagnosis
In the weeks before her diagnosis, around Easter 2024, Evie slipped over in a puddle whilst out with friends and began complaining of backache, which continued for around eight weeks.
Tara said: "Over time things deteriorated. She was struggling to go to school, struggling to carry a bag, struggling to walk. We just thought she's slipped and she's hurt herself. It will be bruising and it will take time to recover."
As the pain continued, Tara took her daughter to several hospitals in the region, as well as her local GP surgery, but the cancer remained undetected. Tara said: "On one particular day she'd been in bed all day. She came downstairs and sat on the sofa but when she went to get up off the sofa she couldn't move and said it hurts so we ended up ringing an ambulance."
Her family say Evie was sent home as she had an appointment to attend a "rapid clinic" in South Tyneside the following day. It was during this appointment that medical staff noticed that Evie was "walking with a slant" and needed to see a bone specialist.
But in the days before her appointment with the bone specialist Evie's condition deteriorated further and she began vomiting and experiencing more pain and discomfort. Tara was told to take her daughter back to hospital, where Evie had an x-ray and was transferred to Newcastle's Royal Victoria Infirmary (RVI).
The family were then informed that doctors suspected that Evie may have cancer, which was later confirmed as Alveolar Rhabdomyosarcoma, a rare cancer with an estimated 31 cases in England each year. Evie received intensive chemotherapy at Newcastle.
This caused side effects such as hair loss, sickness and nerve damage. In November 2024 Evie received five-and-a-half weeks of radiotherapy alongside chemotherapy. In December 2024, Evie finished her treatment and rang the bell.
But in February 2026 a routine scan detected an abnormality of fluid build up in the chest and around the heart. She was admitted to the Paediatric Intensive Care Unit and following tests the family were informed that Evie's cancer had returned.
By May 2026 it was evident that the cancer was beginning to outsmart the chemotherapy and it was agreed at this point that Evie should undergo a short cycle of radiotherapy to tackle a new 'area of concern'. After further scans, the family say they were told that Evie's cancer was outsmarting treatments and treatment options were now running out.
Last month, Evie commenced her fifth and final treatment option available.
