A TEENAGER who was diagnosed with a rare and very aggressive form of childhood cancer as a three-year-old has spoken of her gratitude to the medical team who saved her life.

Jenny Pickering, from Haxby, was diagnosed with advanced neuroblastoma as a little girl and underwent gruelling treatment including an operation and rounds of chemotherapy to fight the cancer.

Now 15, Jenny has since passed the ten-years all clear mark and her family has said they want to express their gratitude to the doctors on the children's cancer ward, at St James Hospital and now in Leeds General Infirmary.

Jenny, a pupil at Joseph Rowntree School, said: "Reaching the ten year point made me realise how far I have come since then.

"I was given a lot of support. The doctors were always welcoming and friendly and they always asked me if everything was okay, they always told me what they were going to do."

Jenny was three-and-a-half when she was taken into hospital with suspected pneumonia which was then found to be a tumour which had grown around her organs and entered her spine and lung.

She underwent several courses of chemotherapy, which were each followed by serious infections, and a few days after her fourth birthday she had an operation to remove the tumour.

Angela Driver, Jenny's grandmother, said: "Jenny, throughout her treatment, was handled with affection and respect, having everything discussed with her, and asking her permission to carry out the treatment she needed.

"We cannot speak too highly of the doctors and nurses who looked after her, led by Dr Adam Glaiser and also Dr Heather Cooper-Waite, who saw her in the follow-up consultations.

"After her treatment was complete she visited the hospital every three months for MRI scans and checks and as time progressed, every six months and then yearly."

Now in year ten Jenny - who lives with her parents Wendy and Stuart and sisters Charlotte and Tiggy - has ambitions to study law and is a talented dancer and has appeared in stage productions of Fame and Oliver, performing with Red Shoes Dance School and Stagecoach.

Doctors were unable to completely remove the tumour from her spine which is now monitored but remains unchanged and it is thought Jenny's dancing has helped with her movement and posture.

Neuroblastoma is a rare cancer that mostly affects young children. It develops from nerve cells called neuroblasts.

It affects around 100 children each year in the UK. It usually affects children under the age of five, and can even occur before a child is born.

Angela said: "Jenny is a beautiful, clever girl, who is also a brilliant dancer and we cannot thank Dr Glaiser enough for all the care and consideration he has given Jenny and her family over the years.

"Where else in the world could we have received such a wonderful service, completely free of charge?"