Evening Telegraph (First Edition)
Dance event a major boost for brave Lily,9
A NINE-year-old Tayside girl who is battling an aggressive form of cancer is taking a major step forward in her fight this weekend.
Perth youngster Lily Douglas is the Scotland flagbearer at the opening ceremony of the United Dance Organisation World Street Dance Championships in Glasgow’s SECC tonight.
Not only that but Lily, a member of Perth’s JGN Dance Attic, will compete in the solo, duo and crew sections of the event.
The talented dancer, who attends St John’s Academy, suffers from Ewing’s Sarcoma, a rare and aggressive form of cancer which is contracted by only 30 people a year in the UK.
It is affecting Lily’s shoulder, lungs and shins and only came to light in April after she complained of a sore shoulder.
However, she has been well enough to attend school for three hours a day and is in Glasgow with her dance mates eagerly anticipating one of the biggest moments of her dancing career.
Lily, pictured below, is a patient at Edinburgh’s Hospital for Sick Children and her mum Jane said: “Lily has just completed her fifth cycle of chemotherapy.
“She missed the European championships in Germany due to her illness but this is her fourth time at the worlds.
“She has done ably well to make it.”
Jackie Nicoll, who runs the JGN Dance Attic, said: “It’s just wonderful that Lily can not only compete but that she has been chosen to be the Scotland flagbearer at the opening ceremony.
“Lily is one of 50 kids at the worlds from my dance school and she is an i ncredible inspiration to me and the other kids at the school.
“They see what she is battling through and it really perks them up.
“They see Lily doing the routines and it really boosts them.”
A total of 10,000 remark dancers from 39 countries are taking part in one of the biggest dance events ever to be staged in Scotland. Until just a few weeks ago, Lily attended three classes a night, back to back during the week, seven hours every Saturday and competitions on a Sunday. She is determined to beat her illness — and this weekend is a big step forward.