EXCLUSIVE

BRAVE schoolgirl Siobhan Bennett did go to the ball - even though it was against all the odds.

Siobhan, of Clayton Way, Clayton-le-Moors, missed her school prom after spending more than eight weeks in hospital and having all the toes on her left foot amputated.

But her mum Lucy, 36, and dad Kevin, 40, were not going to let her miss out.

And she was the belle of the ball when they organised her very own prom at the King Street pub, Accrington, for 40 friends on Sunday night.

Siobhan, who turned 16 last Friday, was admitted to Blackburn Royal Infirmary for a week in April due to severe swelling of her leg, where it was discovered that she had blood clotting.

A couple of days after she was released, Siobhan noticed a rash on her foot, which was diagnosed as vascular gangrene, resulting in her spending seven weeks in the Royal Preston Hospital where her toes were amputated.

It is unknown what caused the blood to clot but one suggestion is that it may have been a rare side effect of the Pill which Siobhan had been on for just one month.

Doctors have also said it may have been a hereditary condition.

While she was in hospital, Siobhan's classmates at Ribblesdale Technology College, Clitheroe, were busy sitting their GCSE exams and celebrating finishing school with a prom at Mytton Fold, Langho, where they had a collection and raised £200 for Siobhan.

Her mum said: "She has been so brave and we are so proud of her that there was no way we would let this special occasion in her life just pass by so we organised her very own prom.

"She was in a wheelchair but she didn't let that bother her, she was just so delighted to see all her friends.

"It was also a celebration of her 16th birthday so it really was a great night."

All eyes were on Siobhan in a flowing red dress as she travelled in style in a limousine with her brother Kyle, 17, and sister, Hayley, 12, to pick up some of her friends from Clitheroe.

There was a buffet and a disco and Siobhan received lots of gifts.

She said: "I am really grateful for all of my presents but the best present of all was having my friends there."

She will make a full recovery and is already starting to walk again.

Mrs Bennett said: "She is determined to carry on and get better quickly, and we are certain that she will stay positive."

Siobhan was unable to sit her GCSEs and will be graded on the results of her mock exams. She hopes to pursue a career in travel and tourism.