A YOUNG woman who battled cancer as a teenager is repaying those who helped her fight the disease.

Michelle Horne, of Brighton, was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma at 16. She is now celebrating 15 years in remission and is giving back to those who helped her as a volunteer for cancer charity Clic Sargent.

The 31-year-old said: “I’ll always be grateful to my two amazing Clic Sargent nurses, Gillian and Andre, who gave me and my family the gift of time. I support Clic Sargent so that other young people and their families can benefit from the incredible support they offer.

“Just after finishing my GCSEs I underwent six months of chemotherapy.

“To be honest, I was really lucky with my treatment and after six months I had competed the chemo with very few hiccups. My two amazing Clic Sargent nurses looked after me alongside the fantastic team at the hospital.

“Gillian and Andre would make the journey out to my home or school to take my weekly bloods.

“What this gave me and my family was the chance to continue with a bit of normality and gave us the gift of time.

“Going in for bloods would have meant a whole day out of school and leaving my brother and sisters.

“Gillian and Andre gave me a kick up the backside when I was down and they are just part of the services that Clic can provide for young people and their families dealing with cancer.

“I continue to support Clic as a thank you for what they did for me and to ensure that they continue to support others like me.”

Ten years after finishing chemotherapy, Michelle has taken on several fundraising activities to raise money as a thank you to Clic Sargent.

In among training for the more physical challenges, Michelle was keen to give Clic Sargent the gift of her time and volunteer at some of the charity’s exciting events.

She said: “My favourite volunteering memory was earlier this year doing the bucket collection at the Kaiser Chiefs gig in Brighton. We raised an amazing amount, people were really nice and Kaiser Chiefs were awesome.

“I volunteer because I really believe in the work Clic Sargent does and a few hours of doing a bucket collection can make such a difference. You can do so many things to raise money; you can have lots of fun and even do something you wouldn’t normally.”

Helen Farquharson, Clic Sargent’s fundraising manager said: “We are truly grateful to Michelle and all of our volunteers who give their time and support our work.”