A North-East teenager given just five years to live now has a chance to lead a normal life thanks to a pioneering medical procedure.

Elizabeth Walker, 17, from Newcastle, suffers from systemic lupus erythematosus, commonly known as lupus - a disease that causes the immune system to attack the body's own cells. Most often affected are the heart, lungs, kidneys and brain.

Elizabeth suffers from the most severe form of the disease.

Drug treatments and chemotherapy had failed for the youngster, and by the time her kidneys started to fail doctors decided that the only option left was to attempt a drastic new treatment.

Two months ago, doctors at Newcastle General Hospital carried out a bone marrow transplant, which had never before been tried for childhood lupus.

Elizabeth, who was diagnosed at seven months, was given bone marrow from her 14-year-old brother, Chris.

Her mother, Sue, 36, said: "It was a scary time but we were left in no doubt that there was nothing else to do and that without the transplant we would lose her."

Professor Andrew Cant, director of the Bubble Unit, the immune-disease department at Newcastle General Hospital, said: "Elizabeth was having more and more treatments, and it became obvious they were not working. Her condition had become not only life-limiting, but had become so serious that it was life-threatening.

"Transplants have been done for children with juvenile arthritis, so it made sense they would work for lupus, which also affects the joints.

"We know we are the first in the UK to use a donor transplant for childhood lupus and we believe we are the first in the world,

"To look at Elizabeth now, compared to how sick she was just a few months ago, it is hard to believe it's the same person."