The family of a Falmouth teenager who was diagnosed with tumours on her liver and lungs earlier this year are hoping she will be cancer free by the end of today following a third, and hopefully final, operation.

Sasha Watson was told she had cancer of the liver only days after her 17th birthday in February and it was later discovered she also had clusters on both lungs – all of which would require surgery.

She had part of her liver removed and then five weeks ago surgeons at Derriford Hopsital in Plymouth operated on one lung and will operate on the other today (12th). “This tumour is not so big and is more accessible as well,” said Sasha’s mum, Michelle Bray.

“After the operation, she will have to have an MRI scan to check on the re-growth of her liver, but this hopefully will be her last operation and she will hopefully then be cancer free.”

Michelle had been accepted to run the London Marathon in aid of CLIC Sargent shortly before learning of Sasha’s condition and has been overwhelmed by the level of support from friends, family and the community. A cheque for £7,851.88 has been sent to the children’s cancer charity.

“My target was to raise £1,800 so to raise nearly £8,000 is phenomenal,” said Michelle. “People are still coming to us with different fundraising ideas so the fundraising will continue.

“We feel like we have been bubble wrapped by the whole community who have embraced us and brought us through this. It has been really, really good.”

The next fundraiser will be a football match between teams from the Asda stores in St Austell and Penryn, where Michelle and Sasha work. This will be played at the Dracaena playing fields in Falmouth on July 7.

The Dash 4 Sash which had been planned for this weekend has been postponed until Sasha is well enough to join in. The event was Sasha’s idea after she had to miss the Race for Life because of her second surgery.

“She was gutted because that was her target, her goal, to walk three miles without stopping,” said Michelle. “She was disappointed that she didn’t reach that point and everybody did it without her.

“I said when we were in hospital that day that we would do our own and we had it planned for Sunday, but they brought her operation forward. We will see how she gets on after the operation, but we will do it.

“It will actually be quite nice, because it will be more of a celebration now that she will have had all her operations.”

Michelle and partner Chris Watson have nothing but praise for the way Sasha has handled the past few months.

“She has coped so well, it has been quite amazing,” said Michelle. “If we could look back 12 months and knew what was coming around the corner, I never would have thought she would be able to deal with it. I was wrong.”