And Kato is not a child model, she's a cancer survivor. Two years ago, she was diagnosed with germ cell cancer, a rare form of tumour which affects 1 in 250,000 children under 16. The tumour is in Kato's lower abdomen, where it likely formed during development of the embryo.

Kato's illness came to light in April 2008 when she was examined after repeated complaints of stomach pain. The family doctor referred her to the Queen Paola hospital for sick children in Antwerp, where doctors discovered the malignant mass.

Chemotherapy started two days later, and for the family - father Ronny, mother Hilde and older brother and sisters - it was the start of a long battle. Chemotherapy was followed by an operation to remove the tumour in June of last year. Then it was a matter of waiting to see if the whole procedure had been a success.

"We agreed with the children that when we were with Kato, we'd have a good time," Ronny explained. "We could do all our crying at home, but we wouldn't allow the little one to notice."

While mother and father put their jobs to one side, they helped keep a growing number of fans and supporters informed with a blog of Kato's activities, at www.bloggen.be/katoisziek, where last week good news appeared.

"We've noticed that people are still reading this blog," read the post. "We're pleased to announce that Kato is on the poster for ‘Buy an azalea for Roosje'. Kato
is doing great - she's skipping through the day! She only has to go every six months now for check-ups, instead of every two months."

Kom op tegen Kanker will be selling 250,000 azaleas all over Flanders and Brussels. You can also make a donation at any time to account number 488-6666666-84 in the name of Kom op tegen Kanker, with the notation "gift".

www.tegenkanker.be