The girl of three saved by the power of her twin sister's love

A generous dose of her twin sister Willow.

At the experts' suggestion, Willow spent every available moment at Lily's side, bringing in picnics and sleeping next to her on a camp bed.

Inseparable: Lily (left) and sister Willow

This turned an ordeal into an adventure for Lily, and her cancer is now in remission.

'Willow was the best medicine that Lily could ever have asked for,' said their mother Shirley Lydon, 38.

'She has gained such strength and support from Willow being with her all the time.'

Miss Lydon, from Boldon Colliery, near Sunderland, became worried about Lily when she started being sick in the mornings and began to lose her balance.

At South Tyneside General Hospital she had an MRI scan which revealed a tumour at the base of her brain. Doctors said they would operate to discover if it was cancerous.

'We just couldn't believe it, said Miss Lydon, whose partner Glyn Slater, 31, works at a car factory. Lily was only three years old and the thought of losing her was just terrible.

'We had to sign a consent form for the operation, which warned that she may be left with brain damage. But we didn't have any choice – the tumour had to be removed.'

Lily underwent an eight-hour oper-ation the following day to remove the two-inch tumour, and then doctors broke the devastating news that it was cancerous.

Miss Lydon said: 'It was terrible to think that Lily had cancer. But the doctors were optimistic that they had managed to remove all the tumour.

'Lily had to start chemotherapy and radiotherapy straight away, to mop up any remaining cancer cells.

'But when the couple told the doctors that Lily had a twin sister, they changed her treatment plan – to include sisterly support.

'They told us to bring her in to the hospital to be with Lily all the time, as they told us that it was the best sister medicine that she could ask for,' added Miss Lydon.

'Lily and Willow are so close – before Lily's brain tumour they had only spent one night apart from each other.

'Lily had been so upset when she went in to hospital. When she was on her own she was very scared and couldn't stop crying. But as soon as Willow arrived, that all changed. She was back to her bubbly happy self. It was amazing to see.'

After chemotherapy caused Lily's hair to fall out in clumps, Willow provided the answer.

'She said that she wanted new hair like Lily, and that made Lily enthusiastic too about losing her hair. I cut both the girls hair into a short style, and they loved it.

'Lily went into hospital once a week for her chemotherapy, and Willow would take picnics in to eat with her, and she would stay the night with Lily on a camp bed in her room.

'Lily was so excited that Willow was in the same room as her – she thought it was like a sleepover party.'

The family were helped by the Rainbow Trust children's charity, which provides support for families who have a child with a life-threatening or terminal illness.

For more information visit www.rainbowtrust.org.uk