Ref. 25579-8-When teenager Jane Quirke was diagnosed with leukaemia she feared her dream of owning a beauty salon was over.

But 18 months later Jane, from Moredon, is well on her way to becoming a top Swindon beautician.

The 18-year-old, who is now in remission, completed an NVQ in beauty therapy at Swindon College's North Star site.

And she enjoyed studying so much she has signed up for another year.

"I'm really pleased," she said. "I went out with my family to celebrate at the weekend.

"I'd love to have my own mobile business. I'd also like to travel abroad and work in salons in a hot and sunny climate to get some experience."

Jane knows she has come a long way since she was diagnosed with the disease in December 2001, when she was 16.

She said: "I found out only three months after I started the course for the first time.

"I had to leave college because I was getting too far behind with the hospital appointments and feeling ill.

"From January to April of that year I was bedridden in the John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford. I was getting infection after infection and didn't seem to be getting better.

"I seemed to have loads of chemotherapy sessions that lasted up to six hours a time. It makes you feel really sick and horrible."

Jane, of Boscombe Road, lost her hair three times due to the strength of the chemo-therapy.

"It's starting to grow back now, which I'm really pleased about," she said. "I hated losing my hair."

Jane is currently having a two-week break from her maintenance treatment as she is neutropenic,which means her immune system is extremely low.

She is waiting for results from a blood test taken yesterday, and if all is well, she will resume her daily dose of up to eight tablets a day next week.

She is expected to finish her treatment next July.