A SCHOOLGIRL who was struck down with a rare illness on a family holiday is back home after undergoing a life-saving liver transplant.

And 15-year-old Kate Goodall wants to get herself as fit as possible to achieve her next aim -- to join her friends at school.

Kate, of Manchester Road East, Little Hulton, became ill during a two-week holiday on the Greek island of Rhodes four months ago, and was airlifted to St James Hospital in Leeds for the urgent operation.

She had been struck down by a rare illness which destroyed her liver. Wilson's Disease is a hereditary disorder which affects one in every 500,000 people. It is so rare it is not tested for, but it can be triggered suddenly, rapidly destroying the brain and liver.

Although Kate has overcome her illness, she has developed diabetes, which is being controlled with medication.

Her mother, Susan Murden, is delighted her daughter is on the mend.

She said: "It's great to get back to some kind of normality and we're hoping that everything is going to be okay. Not knowing what was wrong at times was terrible." After the transplant, Kate's body began to reject the organ and her skin turned yellow. Doctors organised for her to have an operation to widen the vessels at the bottom of her liver.

Fluid also had to be drained from her lungs and stomach, and after struggling to eat and drink she lost weight and had to be fed through a drip.

Kate, who loves pop music and horses, is happy to be home with her family and is looking forward to returning to lessons at Walkden High School. Friends from the school, who made a video for Kate when she was poorly, have also been visiting her at home to keep her occupied.