Prayer Vigil to be Held Sunday for Lydia Valdez

Members of the community have been invited to a vigil on Sunday at North Church to pray for Lydia Valdez, a Little Harbour School fourth grader who has been battling a rare form of cancer for the past two years.

According to Paula Skelley, Lydia's mother, the vigil is scheduled to take place from 3:30 p.m. to 4 p.m. and it is open to anyone who wishes to pray for Lydia. Here is what Skelley wrote in an e-mail on Saturday:

Dear Family and Friends, As you know Lydia has been struggling with cancer since diagnosed March 2011.  Tomorrow the community is invited to join us at the North Church in downtown Portsmouth NH, or wherever you are, at 3:30-4:00 Eastern time, to pray for a miracle for Lydia, for full healing and restoration of her body.  We believe all things are possible through Jesus.  Thank you!  No child should have to suffer this much or this long.  Please share with your friends.

A prayer vigil for 9-year-old Lydia Valdez is planned at the North Church in Market Square at 3:30 p.m. on Sunday. Valdez was diagnosed in March 2011 with rhabdomyosarcoma, a rare form of cancer, and has tried a variety of treatments to remove the cancer from her body.

Lydia's classmates and teachers at Little Harbour School have rallied around the little girl since they learned about her diagnosis of rhabdomyosarcoma, a cancerous tumor that develops in her muscle cells. On Monday volunteers staffed "Lemonade for Lydia" stands around the city to raise money for her family. So far the local fundraising effort has generated more than $3,000.

According to the fundraising page that community members set up for Lydia, more than $18,000 has been raised on Saturday.