A TEENAGE girl is back at home and making a good recovery after undergoing a life-saving operation.

Fifteen-year-old Laura Clarke has undergone a bone marrow transplant at the Royal Manchester Children's Hospital at Pendlebury and is now facing the long road to recovery. The Little Lever High School pupil was diagnosed with Hodgkins lymphoma in December, 2000.

Laura had to undergo a gruelling nine-month session of chemotherapy before being told the cancer had gone into remission last August.

However, just two months later, Laura and her parents, Jackie and John, were devastated at the news the illness had returned, having spread from her chest to the bone marrow.

The plucky Bolton Wanderers fan, of Goodwood Close, Little Lever, underwent the operation in May. She is now back at home, but must stay in isolation until November.

Laura still has to visit hospital once a week for tests on her blood and weight, but providing all goes well, her check-ups should eventually become fortnightly.

She even had a surprise visitor in hospital when Bolton Wanderers player Mike Whitlow popped in for an hour to have a chat with the brave youngster.

Now Laura's consultants want her to put on weight, but she has been struggling to eat and finding something appetising is difficult as she is on what is described as a "clean diet". This means all food has to be freshly cooked. Even things like salad are banned in case they carry germs.

Laura said: "I can't wait for November to have a proper burger! I'm fed-up because there's not much I can do, so I've been reading magazines, sleeping and doing lots of studying.

"Meeting Mike Whitlow was a real shock. He was lovely."

Laura, who is taught during term time by a tutor at home, hopes to return to school in January. She is due to sit her GCSE exams next summer.

Mum Jackie said: "We're very pleased with Laura's progress. The staff at Pendlebury have been superb and we owe them a huge thank-you."