A SCHOOLGIRL who spent two years battling leukaemia was granted her wish of a lifetime when she met Father Christmas in Lapland.

Isabelle Franklin, seven, jetted off to Finland with parents Sue and Adam thanks to the Make a Wish Foundation.

Mrs Franklin, of Plough Road, Great Bentley, found out her daughter’s wish had been granted months ago, but kept it secret until the day before the trip.

They enjoyed a reindeer sleigh ride, a husky ride, riding on the back of a skidoo and looking around Santa’s Workshop.

The highlight, however, was meeting Santa.

Isabelle, a pupil at Great Bentley Primary School, said: “Father Christmas is very kind to me and is always watching over me.”

Mrs Franklin said Isabelle was mesmerised when she met Santa.

She said: “It meant the world seeing the smile on her face after everything she has been through.

“The wish was very important, because it is something Isabelle won’t forget.”

Isabelle was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia in May 2012, aged four.

Mrs Franklin, 37, said: “She was really lethargic and not her usual self. I kept taking her to the doctors and they said it was a virus, but she wasn’t getting better.

Eventually, we got to see a paediatric specialist and he said her liver and spleen were enlarged and sent her to Colchester Hospital.”

Blood tests followed before Isabelle was taken to Addenbrooke’s Hospital, Cambridge, where she was soon diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia. Mrs Franklin said: “It was horrendous. I didn’t know anything about it.

“It is something you never think is going to happen to you.

“We were lucky she responded well to treatment.”

Isabelle underwent two years of chemotherapy, bone marrow operations, blood transfusions and steroids, and spent long periods in hospital.

Six months ago, she was in remission, but she continues to have monthly checks to ensure the illness remains at bay. Mrs Franklin wrote to the Make A Wish Foundation, a charity that grants magical wishes to children and young people fighting life-threatening conditions, to see if Isabelle was eligible for a treat.

She said: “They sent me a booklet I filled in about her likes, such as her favourite food, and who she would like to meet.

“Lapland was magical. It was like it wasn’t real and like how you imagine it in a fairy story. It was just perfect.” Mr Franklin and a team of fundraisers tackled a 54-mile race through the Peak District to support the Make a Wish Foundation two years ago, and raised £2,500 for the charity.