She has no sensation from two inches below her neck and has to be hoisted into a wheelchair.

Yet the 15-year-old never complains.

Speaking from the family home on Albert Street, Leabrooks, her dad Wayne said their whole world had been turned upside down since they found out about the illness.

Her mum Alison said: "We are living in a world of nurses, consultants and professors where suddenly you are reliant on everyone because of an illness we had never even heard of."

"Six months ago she was getting the bus and going to Derby with her friends, now she can't even get out of bed."

Katie, who is due to go back to hospital on Monday to undergo three days of chemotherapy, said: "It's very degrading.

"It brings you down and puts a whole new perspective on things.
"It makes you appreciate things you didn't appreciate before like being able to get up and walk about and just being able to do normal things."

Despite all this, on Sunday Katie will be taking her Great Dane dog, Faith, to complete her good dog citizen award at Alfreton Park – something her mum said was a great feat for someone able bodied, never mind someone in a wheelchair.

The Anthony Gell School pupil's parents praised the doctors at Nottingham City Hospital for the fantastic treatment Katie has received and also Amber Valley Community Transport.

They said their son Chris has also been a great support. to his sister.
Known as the silent killer, malignant melanoma is becoming more common in children. It is often associated with over use of sunbeds and too much sun.

However Katie, who is a keen horserider always wore a hat and suncream.
The Myfanwy Townsend Melanoma Research Fund raises awareness and vital funding into the condition.

For more information on the trust log onto www.melanoma-fund.co.uk