A brave schoolgirl has successfully battled cancer to fulfil her ambition to be win a festive beauty contest.
Little Brogan was aged just five when her concerned mum Sarah, 35, took her to a GP because she has been suffering spells of tired and weakness.
She was immediately referred her for blood tests at Norfolk and Norwich hospital, where she was diagnosed with Acute lymphoblastic Leukaemia.
Since then, Brogan has undergone almost three years of intense Chemotherapy and frequently been an inpatient at Addenbrooke’s hospital, Cambridge.
Now aged ten, Brogan is in remission and has recently been crowned Christmas Pre Teen Model of the Year 20-17.
Sarah said: “When Brogan was diagnosed with cancer, she had to make a wish, with Make a Wish foundation, and she wished to be a model.
“She was runner up in the Miss Norfolk competition, but when she won this one, you could see her reaction and it was like one of the moments you want to keep forever in a box.
“They read out the second and third place first, and you could see her face trying to work out if that meant she’d won, and she was like, ‘It’s me!'”
Brogan, who has been in remission from leukaemia for two years, won the contest run by the Kerri Parker Academy at Wensum Valley Hotel, Norwich, Norfolk, to raise money for Brain Tumour Research.
Throughout that time pupil at St William’s Primary School, Norwich, refused to let her situation stop her smiling, and one of her dreams was to become a model.
Sarah said: “Brogan’s been going to hospital every two months to get chemo in her spine, but it’s taken a really long time for her to be in remission.
“While Brogan’s been having chemo, she’s has couple of really serious infections, because it totally knocks your immune system out.
“She cried when she had to miss school- because she was an inpatient for a few months at a time, but the hospital teachers taught her while she was staying in hospital.
“But she’s not been able to do sports and things, because this has really weakened her bones- she’s always tried to be a normal child as much as possible though.
“So that’s why she didn’t let me tell any of the judges that she had cancer, she said that she just wanted to be Brogan for once.”
During Brogan’s battle with Leukaemia, she won the Star Award from Cancer Research and the Child of Courage Award from her local station, Radio Norfolk.
Sarah said: “Brogan’s dad and I are very proud of her. She’s always been smiley and basically she just took every day in her stride and she’s never given up.
“She’s done so well. She’s had complication after complication, and although she’s had the all clear from cancer she’s still battling different effects from the chemo.
“She still has problems with her stomach, but she still goes to school every day, she doesn’t like to miss school- ‘She’s a superstar really.'”
Brogan has been in remission for the last two years and said that she hopes to pursue modelling in the future.
She said: “I thought it was a dream. I didn’t really think that it was real. It was really nice to have the crown put on my head and to say that I was first.
“Because of my Leukaemia I spent most of my time in hospital, I didn’t really get to go outside and to do all those modelling things so I put it on my wish list and I wanted to make that wish come true.”
“I wanted to win because I’m Brogan, not because of my cancer, I just wanted to be me for a change.
“I just don’t want to live life with people making a fuss of me because of my cancer, I just want to be me.”
Brogan said that her parents Sarah and Jimmy, 36, and her brothers Faron, 13, and Tyler, 16, kept her strong as she fought her way back to health.
She said: “Now it is over, obviously it’s bad having cancer, but without having had cancer I don’t think I would have such an amazing life that I have because that has shown me so much.
“I’ve gained confidence, I’ve become stronger in myself.
“I am really happy that I went through this journey because I didn’t go through it on my own, I went through it with my family, so I am really happy I went through it, and I beat it.
“In the future, I just to have a happy ending really, well I have already got it! To not have anything bad in the future, just to have a happy ending.
“I’m looking forward to Christmas morning, spending all my time with my family and opening presents.”
At Brogan’s most challenging times, she had to use a wheelchair because the chemo weakened her and her leg muscles.
Sarah said this made it all the more special now to see her daughter enjoying dancing, sports and modelling.
She said: “To see her walk down that catwalk is just amazing,” she said. “I just want to say thank you to Kerri Parker Academy for making Brogan’s wish come true.”
Brogan lives with her two brothers, Sarah, who a PA at a school and Jimmy, who works in warehouse operations in Norwich, Norfolk.
