BUBBLY Devaanshi Mehta was all smiles at the weekend as she set off on a four-mile charity trek to raise money for a hospital where she will receive a vital operation.

Ten-year-old Devaanshi was diagnosed with aplastic anaemia when she was just four years old - a condition that, without treatment, will steadily deteriorate her health.

In two months Devaanshi will get a bone marrow transplant from her baby brother, but as she set out on her walk she told the Harrow Times that she wanted to raise awareness that not everyone would be as lucky.

She said: "I think it's important to raise awareness. Some Asian people or people who are not English don't donate their blood and organs but they are needed to make people better.

"I also want to raise awareness about aplastic anaemia and I want to give some money to Great Ormond Street to make it a better place."

Devaanshi has already raised more than £500 through contacting friends and local shopkeepers about the walk.

And she says she has stuck to a gruelling regime to get in shape for her journey.

"I'm feeling a bit nervous about the walk but I'm sure I'll be able to do it," she said.

"We've been exercising and eating healthy foods. We did stuff like sit-ups, star jumps and skipping.

"But I think I'll probably stop doing all that stuff once it's over."

She was joined on her hike by best friend Zoe Lee who has been with her throughout her struggle with the illness.

Aplastic anaemia is a condition where the bone marrow fails to produce blood cells which makes the sufferer vulnerable to infections.

Devaanshi's mum Kalyani said she was "so proud" of her daughter.

The 39-year-old housewife said: "I'm so proud of her. At the moment she's fine but without treatment she would get progressively worse.

"There's a 95 per cent success rate for the bone marrow transplant but not everyone has a big family like us.

"Not many people have four children - having a big family paid off for us.

"Obviously it's hard to find a match but if they aren't there at all it's multiplied even further."

And after the walk Devaanshi's pub manager dad Harkant, 42, said: "It went brilliantly.

"They walked all the way without stopping and when Devaanshi got in she was really happy she did it."