By Paul Reoch

A PERTH mother last night spoke of her 16-year-old “Peter Pan” daughter whose bravery in fighting cancer has been the inspiration for her future.

Lisa Short died on June 15 after suffering three years of cancer and numerous chemo-therapy sessions but her courage has given her mother Gabi (38) the strength to study nursing at Perth College—to the amazement of her colleagues.

Gabi told The Courier how Lisa had to fight cancer in her liver, lungs, chest and then her bowel.

The former Perth High School pupil bravely battled on, enduring 30 chemotherapy sessions but finally succumbed to the illness, spending her last days in Rachel House, Kinross.

“Lisa was my Peter Pan,” Gabi said yesterday. “We made a video at her 16th birthday and she said to me, ‘Mum, I’m never going to grow old.’

“She looked death in the eye and that has given me the encouragement to move on and start my career in nursing.

“I have gained my strength from her and this didn’t allow me to crumble.”

Gabi said her family moved to Perth two years ago and that Lisa first became ill on March 10, 2004.

“It was my birthday, so it is a day I will never forget,” she added. “She was very ill and we took her to the Royal Children’s Hospital in Aberdeen, where they discovered she had Wilms cancer, with a tumour eight inches by seven and in her kidney.

“She had six little tumours in her liver and three in her lungs. They gave her six chemotherapy sessions and then an operation to remove the tumours.”

Lisa then underwent a further 24 chemotherapy sessions and radiotherapy and seemed to be recovering, until the family suffered another setback after holidaying in Greece.

“Lisa had been receiving stem cell treatment in January but when we came home Lisa was feeling sick and bleeding heavily,” Gabi said.

“We had a day up in Storybook Glen in Aberdeen in May this year as she had always wanted to go there but she was sick every 10 minutes.

“We had to take her to Ninewells Hospital and they found a lump, six inches by six, in her bowel.

“A 15-minute operation turned into a five-hour one. The hospital staff found out the tumour had grown and that it was malignant.”

Lisa was then looked after at home by Gabi, who administered morphine, but she spent her last days at Rachel House.

Gabi said, “Those days were very scary and it isn’t easy to talk about it. But two weeks before she died we took her to Bad Pyrmont in Germany, where she was born.

“We spent five days there and I took her swimming.

“She was an incredible girl and despite missing quite a bit of her education she managed to pass English, maths and modern studies.

“It was difficult telling my son Cameron (5) that she had died, but he said, ‘Mum, did the bad bugs come back?’

‘Does that mean that Lisa will be able to look after the other children that have gone to Heaven?

“My classmates have been amazed that I am studying this nursing access course whilst looking after my two children, but Lisa’s courage has spurred me on.”

Gabi’s other son is Michael (14).

Gabi and some of her colleagues are now planning to do a parachute jump to raise money for TCCL (Tayside Children with Cancer and Leukaemia).

Anyone who can help with sponsorship should contact Joanne Dolan on 01821 642121 or Email jollie@dolan84. fsworld.co.uk