On Thursday, November 1, a four-year-old girl who had a fatal brain tumor and was given only 12 months to live lost her brave fight for life. Aria Hodgkiss, who won the hearts of Hollywood stars and Wrexham AFC co-owners Rob McElhenney and Ryan Reynolds, died “peacefully surrounded by her family” after fighting a rare form of brain tumor.
Her parents, Melani and Carl, told a source that she was diagnosed with a very aggressive brain cancer called Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma (DIPG) on her third birthday in May 2021. Early this year, Rob McElhenney and Ryan Reynolds gave £10,000 to help the little girl get alternative medical care. The sad news that Hodgkiss had died was shared by her parents on Twitter.
Our brave warrior, our baby girl Aria passed away peacefully surrounded by her family at 12.30am. 💔💔
We are absolutely devastated and we have no idea how we will carry on each day. But, we promise you that we will carry on for you.
We love you so so much Aria.❤️❤️ pic.twitter.com/ttgt0cXkgs
— Aria VS Dipg (@AriaVsDipg) December 1, 2022
They said:
Our brave warrior, our baby girl Aria, passed away peacefully surrounded by her family at 12:30am. We are absolutely devastated and we have no idea how we will carry on each day. But, we promise you that we will carry on for you. We love you so so much Aria.
People started to send messages of sympathy. One person wrote,
So sorry for your loss. No adequate words for when a child is taken from us. I’m sure you’ll see to it that her legacy will live on.
Another wrote,
Deepest condolences to you all ~ your heartbreak is beyond comprehension ~ just tragic x May your beautiful brave girl rest in peace x,
while a third wrote,
Sending you peace, warmth, love and light at this incredibly difficult time. Step by step, minute by minute, hour by hour.
So sorry for your loss. No adequate words for when a child is taken from us. I’m sure you’ll see to it that her legacy will live on.
— mgwrexham 🔴⚪️🏴 (@mgwrexham) December 1, 2022
Deepest condolences to you all ~ your heartbreak is beyond comprehension ~ just tragic x
May your beautiful brave girl rest in peace x— Tracey (@trajaytol) December 1, 2022
Sending you peace, warmth, love and light at this incredibly difficult time. Step by step, minute by minute, hour by hour.
— Katherine Birkett (@Kitty_B_Good) December 2, 2022
Hodgkiss’s parents, Melanie and Carl, first noticed that she was losing her balance and getting less mobile in September 2020. No cure is known for DIPG, a brain tumor that can’t be cured. Most kids who have cancer die within 18 months of being told they have it.
On Tuesday, November 29, Hodgkiss’s family said that she had been getting worse and that they might only have a few days left with her. Unfortunately, that is exactly what occurred. The family said that their main goal was to try to extend Hodgkiss’s short life as much as possible. They did this by paying for different treatments with money raised by Hodgkiss’s former babysitter, Vicky Roberts, through a GoFundMe page she set up, which raised an incredible £75,675.
