GINNIA Roberts, the young teenager who lived in a coma for four years, has died.

Ginnia passed away on Tuesday morning at the Royal Bolton Hospital.

She had slipped into a coma on January 13, 2001 after being diagnosed with Polyarteriitis Nodosa, a disorder affecting blood vessels leading to the brain, three years previously and never regained consciousness.

The coma was the after-effect of a massive brain bleed.

Ginnia was confined to a specially adapted wheelchair and could only breathe through a tube in her throat.

The 14-year-old was cared for at her home in Crompton Way, Bolton, by her mother, Sue Berry, who refused to let Ginnia spend her days in hospital and battled to have her home, finally having her wish granted in October 2002.

Ginnia died at 9.20am on Tuesday and Sue said: "She died peacefully in her sleep with me at her side. She'd had a chest infection for a few days and I'd made a doctor's appointment for her last Friday.

"But as the day went on she got worse and I realised she was needing more oxygen than we could provide at home so I took her to hospital where she was admitted to B1 ward.

"Doctors and nurses did everything they could for her but they told me Ginnia was very, very poorly. It was only then I realised how bad she was.

"She's had numerous chest infections in the past and, to be honest, I didn't think this one was any different - sadly it was.

"But I have to thank the nursing staff on B1 ward. They were truly incredible and couldn't have done any more."

After Ginnia fell into a vegetative state, Sue had battled to keep her only daughter's life as normal as possible.

Each morning, she would make sure Ginnia was dressed in fashionable clothes - in her favourite yellow - and always applied a touch of sparkly make-up.

Ginnia's specially constructed bedroom was filled with DVDs of her favourite films - Shrek was a much-played one - and her beloved Westlife CDs.

Sue says: "I remember that night in January 2001 when Ginnia slipped into a coma just like it was yesterday.

"She woke up around 2am complaining of a headache. She got out of bed and collapsed. That was it. She never came round after that."

In March this year, Sue told the Bolton Evening News how she "missed the cuddles and laughs" she and Ginnia used to share.

Mother's Day was approaching and Sue said: "Before Ginnia fell into a coma she would take forever choosing a card for me on Mother's Day, either that or she'd make one."

The past four years had been "extremely tough" and, just over 12 months ago, Sue became Ginnia's round-the-clock carer.

"We did have wonderful part-time help in Suzanne, who was also with us when Ginnia died," said Sue.

"Because Ginnia had grown so big, it took two of us to bathe her, lift her out of bed and into her wheelchair and also to get her into the car if we went out."

Sue had never hidden the fact she was waiting for the day when her daughter would wake up and say "mum".

While Ginnia remained in her twilight world, her mother would carry on as if she could see and hear her.

"I would talk to her, take her shopping and discuss clothes and enjoy days in the park where I'd point things out I thought might interest her," said Sue.

"I always acted as if she could understand me because, one day, I believed she might wake up and I didn't want her to have missed out on a single thing."