'Inspirational' teenager Maggie Adcock dies from cancer

A teenager who raised money for trial treatment to fight an aggressive form of cancer has died a year after being diagnosed.

Margaret Adcock - known as Maggie - was diagnosed with alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma in May 2022.

She had chemotherapy but in January was told she had only weeks or months to live, after the cancer spread to her brain.

She died peacefully with her family around her in a hospice on Monday.

'So loved and happy'

After Maggie was told her cancer was terminal, her friends and teachers threw a spring ball for her with only about two weeks to plan it, as this was on her list of wishes.

The teenager, who was from Hilton in Derbyshire, was also surprised with a party for her 18th birthday in May.

In an update to the fundraising campaign last month, Maggie's mother thanked everyone for organising it.

"It was magical," Lyn Adcock wrote. "Thank you for making our little girl so loved and happy."

Maggie loved to travel and studied A-level geography with the hope of going to university

Maggie's parents said she loved to travel, and had hoped to be able to see the world as part of her job one day.

Some of the money from the fundraising page - which raised more than £100,000 - was used so Maggie could go on trips to Paris and Italy before she died.

"Thank you for giving Maggie the opportunity to see the world," her mother wrote.

She had fitted the trips around her chemotherapy treatment.

"We know it's a long road, but we remain strong and determined," her mother wrote last month.

"The recent chemotherapy regime during the last four months has been a very tough one. Maggie was admitted into hospital numerous times because of the side effects. It was very difficult to see her struggling."

Students at Maggie's school were told she had died in an assembly on Tuesday, and support is being offered to them through drop-in clinics.

A statement from John Port Spencer Academy said: "We are all devastated at the loss of Maggie. She was a delightful, hardworking and popular student who had such a bright future ahead of her.

"When we received the devastating news in January that her diagnosis was terminal, staff and students rallied to support her with fundraising and fulfilling her wishes.

"In February, with the help of Repton School, we organised a prom as this was something she had on her list.

"Despite being quite poorly at that time Maggie showed her strength and resilience as she was on the dancefloor all night enjoying every second of the evening.

"Maggie was an inspiration and we will all remember her commitment to making the most of every day and not taking tomorrow for granted.

"She will be missed by the whole school community but not forgotten."