Last updated at 20:11, Thursday, 05 July 2012

A Maryport teenager who is battling cancer will meet her pop idols, boy band JLS, after a recent let-down.

The band recently pulled out of a gig in Carlisle, which devastated fan Rebecca Marnock, 14, whose mum had booked tickets as a treat.

Rebecca, of Furnace Lane, was diagnosed with a cancerous brain tumour in December.

She has already undergone surgery in Newcastle and has just finished her third round of radiotherapy.

But the band read about Rebecca on the Times & Star’s website and contacted her family.

They said: “We came across Rebecca’s story online. Our fans are everything to us, so of course we wanted to help straight away.”

The boys have invited Rebecca and three other people to a concert of their choice, with a chance to meet them backstage and have photos taken with them.

Following the Carlisle cancellation JLS announced a concert in Scarborough for the same date, but Rebecca’s mum Kerry Carruthers said she could not afford the trip.

Rebecca, a fan since JLS appeared on ITV’s X Factor, had already taught her mum the words to their hits in time for the gig.

Kerry, a single mother, left work to look after her daughter.

She has three teenage children, including Rebecca’s twin, Matthew, and admitted that money was tight.

She said: “We had scraped together enough to get us all to Carlisle because Rebecca is such a JLS fan but when Carlisle was cancelled we knew we couldn’t go elsewhere.

“Now I will have to do everything in my power to get the money for train fare and accommodation.

“We can’t let Rebecca miss out on this.”

Rebecca said she did not know what she was going to say to the band and added: “I’ll be nervous and excited.”

She said that thanks to her cancer treatment she was feeling “like she used to”.

First published at 19:21, Thursday, 05 July 2012
Published by http://www.timesandstar.co.uk