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Pride award for brave Lisa
Cystic fibrosis sufferer recognised in awards to honour 'real local heroes'
A young cystic fibrosis sufferer has been commended for her bravery in battling the chronic disease.
Lisa Church, 23, of Clapham, was presented with the special recognition prize at Chiltern Radio's Pride of 2008 Awards, held at the Holiday Inn hotel in Luton.
The annual event is organised to acknowledge the courageous, unsung heroes across Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire and Hertfordshire.
Lisa's mum Gyll Brunton, who accompanied her daughter to the ceremony on November 13, said: "Winning the award really gave Lisa a boost, and in light of the recent sad story about Jodi Dunmore it would perhaps be a bit of inspirational news for other cystic fibrosis sufferers."
At the age of only 14 months Lisa was diagnosed with the condition which affects the internal organs by clogging them with thick, sticky mucus, making it hard to breathe and digest food.
But it is in the last few years that things have become increasingly difficult for Lisa, who has suffered from pneumonia and extensive bleeding of the lungs.
Mum Gyll, who nominated her daughter, said: "Lisa won because of her immense courage in fighting this disease. She was put on a life support machine a few months back and we were told to say goodbye to her, but amazingly she rallied round and is now back home awaiting a double lung transplant."
A spokesman for Chiltern Radio said: "We asked our listeners to nominate those people who go the extra mile for their family, their friends or their wider community. And from those nominations come these winners – the real local heroes for 2008."
Lisa, who lives with her mum in Clapham and went to Sharnbrook Upper School, was presented with her award by Luton Town manager Mick Harford.
Cystic fibrosis affects more than 8,000 people in the UK, and the average life expectancy for sufferers is about 31 years – although improvements in treatments mean a baby born today could expect to live for longer.
Lisa's mum Gyll used to be a nurse, but now spends her time looking after her daughter. She added: "Lisa has to take hundreds of pills and needs constant oxygen, but she is still smiling."
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Friday 25 May 2012
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