A TEENAGER who is battling cancer is hoping to get the go-ahead for a life saving operation.

Amanda Gifford is due to undergo another exhausting dose of chemotherapy next week before doctors give her a final scan and announce when she can have the operation.

But the doctors have warned the 17-year-old and her family that there is a limited amount of treatment she can now undergo before her body stops responding and surgery could be the only way to save her life.

Amanda, from Halliwell, captured the hearts of Bolton Evening News readers when she was first diagnosed with cancer after arriving home from school complaining of a sore leg in January 2000.

She had her leg amputated and was given only a 20 per cent chance of survival, but amazed everyone by continuing to fight the illness and even returned to school. However, after eight months of good health a tumour was discovered on her lungs which had to be removed by surgery.

Even though Amanda, who is a pupil at the Rumworth School, made a good recovery, she faced another battle earlier this year when doctors found another tumour on her lungs.

She has been receiving chemotherapy at the Royal Manchester Children's Hospital, in Pendlebury, with her family keeping a vigil at her bedside.

Her father Michael said: "We will know by the end of next week what is happening over the surgery. There's only so much chemotherapy she can have now. We're all keeping our fingers crossed and hoping for the best."