THESE photographs document the emotional moment schoolgirl Ellen Houghton was able to ring the bell at Alder Hey Children’s Hospital in Liverpool to mark the end of her cancer treatment.

The 16-year-old was joined by her mum Michelle, 46, and her loved ones when she was finally able to ring in the next chapter of her life after a difficult 18 months of treatment.

Her two friends Louise Buckley and Elkie Mellor, both aged 15, were also on hand to show their support after meeting Ellen in the same hospital where they were seeking treatment.

“We have thought about this day right from the start,” said Michelle, from Burtonwood, who has been by her daughter’s side every step of the way.

“We were constantly asking ourselves questions about when this day would come.

“When will she be able to ring it? Would it be years? Would it be soon?

“The treatment should have only been for nine months and it turned into 18 months with everything going wrong for her.

“When we got a date for ringing the bell, it was very emotional.”

The Warrington Disability Partnership volunteer was diagnosed with bone cancer at the age of 15.

The former Great Sankey High School pupil first started to struggle with a knee problem after she fell during a PE lesson.

At first it was believed the pain in her knee was caused by a tweaked cartilage and the then 15-year-old started a course of painkillers.

But as the pain mounted, Ellen and her mum requested an MRI scan.

Three weeks after the scan, the family were told the heart-breaking news that Ellen had osteosarcoma in her knee – a rare type of bone cancer.

‘She still needs an operation on her leg and she has scans every 12 weeks. So every day with Ellen is special’

Michelle Houghton

Along with gruelling cycles of chemotherapy, Ellen also needed a life-saving operation on her knee to remove the tumour.

“It’s a hard thing to go through,” said Michelle.

“At the beginning you let your mind run away from you and think all sorts.

“When you hear the word cancer you think the worst.”

To keep her spirits flying high, the family launched a fundraising page to take Ellen away on a once-in-a-lifetime trip once she had completed her treatment.

Almost £5,000 has been raised through generous donations to fund the dream holiday with money still rolling in.

A cheese and wine night fundraiser will also take place on Friday from 7pm to 9.30pm at Sankey Bridges Community Centre, on Old Liverpool Road.

All money raised will help to fund a trip that Ellen will never forget.

The family are hoping to fly out to the United States next year once Ellen has fully recovered from the after-effects of the treatment.

“She still needs an operation on her leg and she has scans every 12 weeks,” said Michelle.

“So every day with Ellen is special.”

The 16-year-old, who has cared for her mum from the age of eight after she suffered two broken hips, is now studying at Barrow Hall College in Great Sankey where she will sit her GCSEs and study textiles.

It was a proud moment for her family to see Ellen spend her first day in college – something so many teenagers take for granted.

But while the family hope to put the past 18 months behind them, they will never forget the staff at the hospital in Liverpool who always went the extra mile.

She said: “Alder Hey became our extended family.

“All the nurses, doctor and people who looked after her have been great.

“I will never be able to thank them enough.”

The fundraising page remains open for any last-minute donations.

To donate click here or to buy tickets to the cheese and wine night fundraiser call 07547 67729. Entry is £7.50 per person.