AFTER surviving the ultimate test, talented Great Sankey athlete Kelly Chadwick is back taking aim at records once again.

The 18-year-old was a prodigious athlete earlier in her teens but was diagnosed with acute myloid leukaemia in March 2015.

She needed a life-saving bone marrow transplant, but now she is back on the track and heading to the British Transplant Games in Birmingham this weekend.

Kelly’s father Phil, who is also her coach, says doctors who treated her said her athletic background saved her life.

However, after “a bad three years,” Mr Chadwick says Kelly has a real chance of breaking records at the games, which get underway today, Thursday.

“She was competing at a high level. When she was 14, she was ranked in the top three in the country for jumping and sprinting,” he said.

“She got ill in March 2015 and we found out she had AML leukaemia when she’d just turned 15.

“It was difficult to find a bone marrow donor. Her mother donated hers but it was only a five out of ten match, and she needed to be a ten.

“The doctor said that being an athlete saved her life.

“It’s been a bad three years for us and it’s rocked us, but she is a fighter.

“She is just a strong-willed girl and I am extremely proud of her.”

The former Penketh High School student will have a packed schedule as she competes in the 100m, 200m and relay races as well as the long jump.

As her father says, however, her family are just grateful that she is running at all.

“She’s started back training this year and has done a few events,” he said.

“With the times she’s doing at the moment, it looks like she’s going to smash British Transplant Games records.

“These games aren’t categorised, so there’s people who have had heart transplants, liver transplants and all sorts.

“It is new to us, but they are all amazing.

“She does still have a few complications and we’ve had to take it really easy this year.

“Ideally, she wants to be back competing in able-bodied events.

“The fact she’s back running is amazing. It’s something we never thought would happen.”

Kelly is competing in the games to raise money for Manchester Children’s Hospital, with all donations going to the bone marrow and oncology unit.

You can sponsor Kelly by clicking here