Tributes as brave Zoe loses leukaemia battle

Zoe Geddes died at Yorkhill Children's Hospital in Glasgow, where she had been receiving chemotherapy. The Buckie High School pupil was diagnosed with the disease in December after developing a rash on her legs.

Her parents, Andrew and Christine, praised the bravery with which their daughter had battled her illness. Mrs Geddes 38, said: "She has done us proud. She never once moaned or said, 'I've had enough of this'. Even on the day she was told to go into hospital, she just packed her suitcase and that was it.

"She wasn't the kind of girl who asked for attention, but she always seemed to attract people to her. She was such a likeable person. Stunned is the word to describe how we feel."

Mr Geddes, 39, a fisherman on the Buckie-registered white fish trawler Moray Endeavour, said Zoe, who was a member of the Buckie Thistle girls' football team, had planned to train to become a vet when she left school.

"She had initial treatment for four weeks and then short spells in hospital, but she went through that no problem," he said. "We were just telling everyone that she was doing well. But the side effects took hold after her last dose (of chemotherapy]."

David Findlay, the Buckie Thistle coach, said the club was in shock. He said: "Zoe really was superb. She was very popular and mixed very well with the squad. She was a very likeable girl and that's what makes it even more painful. It was such a massive blow to everybody associated with the club."

Mr and Mrs Geddes have two other children, Amy, 17 and five-year-old Leah.

Zoe's funeral service is to be held at the North Church in Buckie on Friday.