Award for the girl who overcame cancer, then nearly died in car crash

Morgan French, of Shepherd's Bush, was diagnosed with Wilms' tumour, a type of kidney cancer, when she was five.

She had the 5lb growth removed along with one of her kidneys during eight hours of surgery, and after more than six months of chemotherapy was told she had gone into remission.

Six months later, she was involved in the crash and her heart stopped. A passer-by resuscitated her but doctors feared she was brain damaged and paralysed. Within weeks Morgan, now nine, had recovered.

Her mother Katy said that from the day she was diagnosed with cancer in June 2004, her daughter was "an inspiration".

Ms French, 34, said: "Despite being in and out of hospital, Morgan never moaned.

She was sick throughout her chemo and had to have a couple of blood transfusions.

Even when she lost her lovely long hair she gave herself the nickname 'peanut head' and was proud to walk around without a hat or bandanna. Her amazing attitude kept me going."

Following treatment at Chelsea and Westminster, University College London and The Royal London hospitals, Morgan was told she was in remission in March 2005.

But in October that year, she was involved in the crash in Fulham while sitting in the back of her mother's car.

Ms French says all she remembers is her youngest daughter Jade, seven, shouting "Morgan's dead".

She said: "I screamed at the passers-by, saying, 'My daughter has only just recovered from cancer, help me'. Then this man came forward and brought Morgan back to life."

Initially, Ms French and her partner Ben Warda, 28, a salesman, were told Morgan could be paralysed from the neck down and have brain damage. However, the only lasting damage is a slight limp.

This month Morgan, a pupil at Wormholt Park primary, was presented with a Little Star Award by Cancer Research UK.

Ms French, who has two other children, Charlie, 15, and Jessi-Lee, 14, said: "She is so excited about her award. It's been signed by celebrities including David Tennant, and as a huge Dr Who fan she was ecstatic.

"She has been a bit embarrassed about receiving the award.

"We are so proud of her. Through all those months of agony she was brave and never gave up."

Cancer Research UK spokeswoman Lynn Daly said: "Morgan is a true little star who richly deserves this accolade."

Rare but curable

More than nine out of 10 kidney cancers found in children are Wilms' tumours.

The tumour can develop in the womb but may not cause symptoms until a few years after the child is born.

The disease usually affects one kidney but in about seven in 100 cases both are affected. The most common symptom is a painless swelling of the abdomen.

Other symptoms include blood in the urine, fever and weight loss. The cancer is curable in 90 per cent of cases.