“IT has been an absolute privilege to have been her parents.”

The proud father of Loans teenager Vanessa Riddle, who passed away from neuroblastoma, gave an emotional interview this week.

Speaking about his daughter, Chris Riddle said: “Vanessa definitely had a bit of spark about her. Her friends visited this afternoon and were showing us pictures of her.

“We learned about a different side to her that as her family we didn’t know about. Vanessa was an inspiration to us all. She was a positive individual and she knew what her situation was for many years.

“She was a grown up because of what she had been through and she had been around adults while she was in hospital, more than a young person normally would.

“Vanessa was never without a smile and was a hugely brave character. It has been an absolute privilege to have been her parents.” 

Vanessa was first diagnosed with the cancer in 2009 but following treatment, using the money raised from fundraising efforts, she relapsed in 2011. Her second relapse came in June 2014.

Chris continued: “It never really went away after that. She chased it around the body. 

“Since Vanessa’s passing, our friends have been a massive support and I like to thank them all for this. We have received more than 500 messages on Facebook.

“Vanessa gave so much joy. I never saw her being negative about her situation, even though she knew it was dire. 

“There have been so many people who have done so much. She had some great nursing staff all the way through and was well cared for throughout her journey. 

“I want to say thank you to everyone who helped us raise money throughout the appeal and allowed Vanessa to access her treatment.
“It allowed us more time with her than we thought was possible.”

Chris, family and friends will continue to raise money in Vanessa’s name for Solving Kids’ Cancer in September. Chris and his colleagues will cycle from London to their office headquarters in Germany.

He added: “We will continue to fundraise in her name. But we will leave it until the time is appropriate. Vanessa was an inspiration and it would be a shame to let that go.”

Vanessa’s funeral will take place on Friday, June 22 at 11.30am at Dreghorn Crematorium. This will be followed by a service at Troon Town Hall at 12.30pm.

Chris said: “This will be a celebration. We want to hear about Vanessa and her life.”