Hartlepool teenager who was read last rites survives cancer ordeal and now wants to help others

Brother and sister Daniel Cooper and Tiffany-Rose. Daniel is going to do a skydive to raise money for CLIC Sargent that helped his family when Tiffany-Rose had leukaemia. Picture by Tom Banks

Tiffany-Rose Cooper was diagnosed with leukaemia, which developed into breast cancer when she was just 16.

She was so ill at one point that she was not expected to survive and was even given her last rites.

Tiffany-Rose hopes to become a children's nurse to give something back.. Picture by Tom Banks

But Tiffany-Rose went on to make a miraculous recovery.

Now aged 19 and in remission she wants to become a children’s nurse to give something back.

She said: “I have always wanted to go into healthcare. Because of my experiences I chose children’s nursing.

“The nurses who helped me were brilliant and I would like to give that back to the NHS and patients so they have as good an experience as I got in hospital.”

And now the sky is the limit for her brother Daniel when it comes to helping the charity that supported the family during his sister’s cancer fight.

This month Daniel, 18, will jump out of an aeroplane thousands of feet above the earth in a skydive.

He is raising money for childhood cancer charity CLIC Sargent who have supported Tiffany-Rose and her family since she was diagnosed.

Daniel said: “The treatment was invasive and horrific at times.

“Her immune system was completely suppressed she lost her hair, finger and toe nails and suffered with pneumonia.

“Whilst fighting sepsis she was given last rites as she was not expected to survive.

“She did and the CLIC Sargent charity supported all of my family during this traumatic period.”

Tiffany-Rose was diagnosed after she went to the doctor’s due to frequent tiredness and insisted on blood tests.

She was immediately admitted to Newcastle’s RVI hospital to start the treatment.

Mum Angela Cooper said CLIC Sargent were there from day one assigning Tiffany-Rose a support worker.

They also helped the family, of Owton Manor, with practical matters including clothing and travel costs as Angela, also mum to Michael 16, had to take time off work.

When Angela was summoned urgently to the hospital late at night when Tiffany-Rose was not expected to live, someone from CLIC Sargent was waiting when she arrived to pay for the taxi.

Angela said: “Even now they are still there. They are one of the lesser known cancer charities but they do a lot of work behind the scenes.”

The treatment left Tiffany-Rose with a condition for which she needed to have numerous lumbar punctures to remove a build up of spinal fluid around the brain.

But she said other than that she feels fine and is looking forward to starting university in Newcastle in September.

Tiffany-Rose said Daniel’s skydive was a brilliant thing to help an amazing charity.

Daniel added: “Tiffany-Rose has lost friends along the way and some friends are still suffering.

“I want to help CLIC Sargent help more families with young cancer sufferers.”

Anyone who wishes to sponsor Daniel can do so at www.justgiving.com/fundraising/daniel-cooper13