A little Hornchurch girl who was diagnosed with a rare form of bone cancer - discovered after a fall in the playground - has been given the all-clear.

The parents of Joni-Mai Stevens were told on Monday that the six-year-old is in remission from Ewing’s Sarcoma.

Joni-Mai’s dad, Kevin Stevens, said: “To be honest it has not really sunk in yet and it is so surrreal, but we are so relieved.

“Joni is a bit young to understand what has been going on, but she is just happy that she won’t have to go back to the hospital in a hurry.”

Joni-Mai, who goes to Scotts Primary School, in Bonington Road, Hornchurch, finished her last course of chemotherapy three weeks ago after undergoing the treatment for nine months.

Earlier this year, the youngster also had to have a hip replacement because of damage caused to her bones and the family have been told by the doctors that she will need more procedures.

Kevin said: “This is going to affect Joni for the rest of her life.

“It is good news but it will always be with her, but we are still happy.”

Joni-Mai was diagnosed with Ewing’s Sarcoma in November last year, after she came home from school complaining of a sore leg after a fall in the playground.

The family took her to a polyclinic and she was diagnosed with haemotoma, but when the pain didn’t go away she was transferred to Queen’s Hospital, in Rom Valley Way, Romford, where the condition was diagnosed.

The disease normally occurs in teenagers and more commonly affects boys than girls.

At the time, Joni-Mai’s grandmother, Trish Walsh, told the Recorder: “It just started off as something simple like a playground scrape and we did not even think anything of it.

“The fall in school was actually the saving grace and if this didn’t happen the tumour would have gone undetected.”

Kevin will part in the London to Brighton bike ride with four friends on September 16 to raise money for Sarcoma UK, which researches cures for the disease.

Kevin said: “I organised it before Joni was given the all clear just to help take my mind off things, I still want to go ahead with it as a way of saying thank you to all the people who have helped us.”

To donate visit: http://www.justgiving.com/Joni-Mai/eurl.axd/794fc429d6055d439e39ea781104f454