But you will not find her feeling sorry. Despite everything she has been through, Summer has always maintained a positive attitude and approached every hardship with a smile. One of the many recent reasons she was awarded the Child of Courage at the 2023 Child of Wales awards.
Summer, who received her award from Love Island contestant Paige Thorne, was applauded for “always remaining positive, helping calm others and inspiring them never to give up.”
Summer, from Bridgend, has been involved with Dreams & Wishes since her mum Joanne found out about the charity during one of their many hospital visits.
One of the nurses suggested they joined that year’s Christmas VIP trip to Downing Street and the Houses of Parliament.
Mum Joanne says: “One of the specialist nurses said that Summer deserved to go on the trip to London. I had never heard about the charity and thought maybe it was just for children with cancer, but they explained that it is for children with lifelong illnesses.
“We went along and it was amazing. I would have been worried about going on that sort of trip on our own in case Summer got ill or something happened. Even a simple day out needed a lot of organisation, but we went on the visit and had so much support and we made so many wonderful memories that will stay with us forever.”
Over the years Summer has had several wishes granted, including a trip to the Harry Potter studios and Legoland, and, as a result, wanted to get involved to help the charity put smiles on the faces of other seriously ill children too.
She is now an ambassador for the charity and as well as her schoolwork, she has spends her free time making handmade resin items to raise funds for the charity and helping out at the various parties the charity organises for children and their families throughout the year.
Summer was just 14 months old when she was diagnosed with stage 4 Nephroblastoma (Wilm's tumour), an extremely rare illness that is a type of cancer.
Summer started hemodialysis for her kidneys, and needed multiple tubes inserted into her veins to clean her blood.
Then, in 2012, she had to have her first kidney transplant. It was a major operation and Summer had to be placed in intensive care in a medically induced coma for 10 days whilst her kidney was trying to work. She even named her kidney at the time, calling it 'Sleepy April'.
All seemed to go well for a while. But in 2015, after returning from a holiday to Turkey, Summer received the devastating news that her kidney had rejected her body. The transplant had to be removed due to it causing too much trauma.
After six years on peritoneal dialysis and haemodialysis and suffering severe discomfort, at 4.48am on August 4, 2020, she received the call she'd be waiting for. A kidney had been found, she called this one 'Faith'.
Summer’s outlook is very much to embrace the positive times over the bad, and to help put the smiles on faces of other seriously ill children.
Her work with Dreams & Wishes is an important part of her positivity.
She said: "Through my own ongoing illnesses I can sympathise with how others feel and it gives me great joy in knowing I’m also helping people and bringing smiles onto their faces. I also want all the patients involved in Dreams & Wishes to know and understand that no matter what you can always achieve your dreams!
"Everyone at Dreams & Wishes are volunteers and all money raised goes straight into the charity, it is such an inspiration. I have had lots of wishes granted over the years, I went to Legoland with the charity and there was an amazing trip to the House of Commons."
Since Dreams & Wishes began in 2011, it has been working with families across the UK, providing vital support throughout the child’s illness as well as helping to build happy memories by granting lifelong wishes.
Tony Curtis MBE, from the charity, said: "I think she is an amazing young girl who has gone through so much and is so positive in her every day life. As a charity we are so proud of her being our young ambassador. She is a real inspiration to everyone who meets her."