Pupils Alex Cooper, 17, and Nancy Devine, 14, have both received treatment for cancer

by Hayley Robinson

To the outside world, Alex Cooper and Nancy Devine look like normal teenage girls.

But the two Highsted Grammar School students are both fighting cancer.

Alex, a Year 12 pupil who is currently studying for her A-levels, was diagnosed with chronic myeloid leukaemia in October 2010 while Nancy, a Year 10 pupil, was diagnosed with follicular thyroid cancer last October.

Yet despite their battle against the disease both girls, who are in Franklin House, have continued with their academic studies.

It was the film My Sister’s Keeper which prompted Alex to think about her health.

The story is about a young girl who is brought into the world to be a genetic match for her older sister who suffers from acute promyelocytic leukaemia.

While watching it Alex noticed a lot of the symptoms were similar to what she was experiencing.

She said: "I kept feeling very faint. Then I noticed I kept getting bruises and lumps and feeling ill. My stomach was also sticking out, which is a sign of my condition."

Three days after seeing her GP and undergoing blood tests Alex was transferred to the Royal Marsden Hospital where she was diagnosed.

The 17-year-old, of The Street, Bredgar, added: "They put me on a trial drug straight away. The drug basically slows the cancer down. I’ll never be in remission.

"It got me bang in the middle of GCSEs. I was doing about 12 but ended up doing 10. I didn’t want to drop back too much as I felt my education was important to me."

Nancy was taken to the Sittingbourne Memorial Hospital after her dad David noticed a large lump on the right side of her neck. Within 10 days she was operated on at Medway Maritime Hospital, Gillingham.

In January she started radioactive iodine treatment at the Sutton-based Marsden.

The 14-year-old, of Adelaide Drive, Sittingbourne, said: "I had an operation to remove the lump and the right thyroid. Three weeks later they removed the left side of my thyroid.

"At first I was shocked and very upset and questioning it. Now I don’t really think about it.

"I sat my science GCSE exam in January and got a C in it. I did foundation so it’s the highest mark you can get."

The girls are passionate about raising funds for the hospital which treated them.

Alex raised £300 by holding a CD, DVD and book sale in the school hall in March. Nancy and her family raised £2,000 in sponsorship money by taking part in the Marsden March, which sees participants walk 14 miles between the Chelsea and Sutton hospitals.

Fellow Franklin House pupils also raised £700 over the past academic year by holding various fund raising events.

Alex and Nancy presented the money to Jim Barker, a representative of The Royal Marsden Hospital, when he visited the school on May 1.

John Rush, head of Franklin House, said: "They are both an inspiration."