A BRAVE schoolgirl is making a rapid recovery and getting back to being her "cheeky" self after being airlifted home from a sunshine holiday for a life-saving operation.

Kate Goodall, aged 15, of Little Hulton, has even amazed doctors with her quick recovery from a liver transplant at St James Hospital in Leeds.

The popular teenager was struck down a by rare illness which destroyed her liver while she was on a two-week break with her family on the Greek island of Rhodes.

Wilson's Disease is a hereditary disorder which affects just one in every 500,000 people. It is so rare it is not tested for but can be suddenly triggered, rapidly destroying the brain and liver.

An agonising 48 hour wait to see if the operation was a success is now over for the teenager and her family.

And she is even sitting up in bed with her mum and step-dad, Susan and Paul Murden, and dad and step-mum Robert and Linda Goodall at her bedside.

Mr Murden said to see her now is "amazing."

He said: "It is not over yet but she is out of serious danger. To see her her now is just unbelievable. We feel so much happier.

"She was sitting up in bed and bossing everyone about and being cheeky this morning. Even the doctors are astounded at her recovery rate.

"She is a very strong and brave girl. As she was going down to theatre her attitude was to say "right, lets just get this over with."

"We are so proud of her."

Kate is expected to move from the Paediatric Intensive Care Unit for children later today and onto the high dependency unit.