The Falmouth teenager who discovered she had cancer, just days after her 17th birthday, is recovering well in hospital after having part of her liver removed.

Sasha Watson has a rare form of cancer which affects just one in 200 people and is facing several operations. The first of these was carried out at Derriford Hospital in Plymouth last Wednesday.

Her mum, Michelle Bray, said: “She is doing very well. She had a liver section, had part of her liver cut out. She is responding well to treatment and is recovering very well. We are still in Derriford at the moment and by the end of the week we hope to find out a bit more about what happens next.”

Despite being in considerable pain, Sasha has been keeping her spirits up with the help of her mum and dad, Chris, who have been staying close by at the hospital. A couple of visits from sisters Ria and Keita and other members of her family have also given her a boost.

“At the moment we are just getting by day by day,” said Michelle. “We are just concentrating on getting her well. It is possible she may be able to come home on Thursday, but she has to wait and see.”

Michelle, 42, had signed up to run the London Marathon next month for children’s cancer charity CLIC Sargent before knowing that her own daughter had been struck down with the disease.

Friends and even complete strangers have been touched by the family’s story and have been sending messages of support via the internet social networking site Facebook and helped Michelle reach her fundraising target weeks sooner than expected. She had to raise a minimum of £1,800 as a condition of being accepted for the marathon, but 92 donations, totalling £2,570, have already been made to her Justgiving page.

“We have had tremendous support,” said Michelle. “People who are friends of friends, but who we don’t know personally are rooting for us.”

The fundraising continues with The Retrobop Fitness Disco Night being held at Penryn College’s sports hall on Friday night. There will be a prize for the best fancy dress from the 1960s to the noughties and a raffle. Tickets cost £8 and are available by calling 0781 7174114. It is hoped Sasha may be well enough to make an appearance at the event.

A quiz night and disco is also being planned at Falmouth Town Football Club on April 12. Entry to the quiz is £5 per sheet/team and places need to be booked by calling Suzie on 375156. The quiz will be followed by a game of Play Your Cards Right and chilli and chips, and the evening will end with a 70s disco with optional fancy dress.

Finally, Sasha’s youngest sister, Keita, 11, is doing her bit by organising an Easter rabbit raffle. A pupil at St Francis School, Falmouth, she is selling tickets before and after lessons up until the end of term. The raffle will be drawn on the last day of school. Money raised from all the events will go to CLIC Sargent.