A TEENAGER who has spent the past seven years caring for her mum is now hoping to fulfil her dream of playing football for England.

Sophie Harris, 16, from North Leigh, has looked after her mum, Hannah, as she battles hypersensitivity pneumonitis and hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH).

The rare diseases have seen Miss Harris rely on Sophie and her brother Ben, 15.

However, Sophie has now been given the opportunity to join up with the Arsenal Women Youth Academy.

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It was while Sophie was playing for a team in Witney that a former England player noticed her talent.

Her mum, 39, said: “She played for the Tower Hill Vixens team for four or five years and during that time the team got a surprise from Alex Scott, who told her to try out for Arsenal.

“We went home and looked into applying for Arsenal and although she got through to the next stage, she missed out.

“She then reapplied in 2017 and has been with them for three seasons and had all sorts of opportunities.

“As she turned 16, her coach suggested she might want to continue and join the academy at Oaklands College in Hertfordshire.”

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To do so, Sophie needs the finances to pay for her accommodation in time for starting in September.

At the college, she can get her meals, continued education with A-Level studies, and a roof over her head.

This has led to her mum launching a JustGiving page.

Sophie has been caring for her mum since she first became ill seven years ago.

Her condition started with breathing difficulties and culminated being put into an induced coma in December 2017.

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“I woke up in February with no hair due to chemotherapy and I couldn’t walk as I was paralysed due to the amount of time I’d been in the coma,” she said.

“Family were called twice to say goodbye to me and during all this, Sophie had to give up her time at Arsenal to care for me.

“She and Ben did pretty much everything for me while still going to school, there was never a single complaint from either of them.”

Miss Harris had to give up her job as a care manager, but is excited to see what the future holds for her daughter.

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“It’s really mixed emotions at the moment, I thought she’d be here till she was 18 but I’m really proud of her, she’s worked so hard to get to this point,” she said.

“She’s always been interested in football and when she was six, she said she wanted to be a goalkeeper.

“After a couple of years of pestering, she joined Tower Hill, and she’s never looked back from there.”

To donate to the JustGiving page, please visit: justgiving.com/crowdfunding/hannah-harris