Inspirational teen wins hero award

AN INSPIRATIONAL teenager whose four-year battle with a rare form of cancer has left her in a wheelchair has won a top award for the way she has "turned her disability into an ability".

Stacey Herriott, 18, was diagnosed with a bone cancer called Ewing's Sarcoma when she was just 14, but has coped so well with the illness that her teacher at Braidburn Special School nominated her for a Young Scot Award in the Unsung Hero category.

Stacey was chosen as winner of the category and picked up her award at a ceremony in Glasgow.

Her teacher, Margaret Vaughan, has not only been impressed by the way Stacey has coped with her illness, but also by the way she has inspired others in the school and given up time to help younger pupils. She said: "The category is Unsung Hero because that's what she is."

As well as raising funds for charity, Stacey volunteers as a classroom assistant at Merchiston Castle School one day a week and almost single-handedly runs Braidburn's Cool Cafe, which provides a social environment where parents and pupils can relax.