A TEENAGER who battled cancer is to be the fa-ce of a national camp-aign to raise money to fight the disease.

Sophia Steinsberg, from Radley, near Abingdon, was diagnosed in December 2008 with bone cancer.

The 13-year-old has now been picked by the supermarket giant Tesco to front its annual charity campaign, which this year is in aid of cancer charity Clic Sargent.

The youngster first realised something was wrong after experiencing pains and swell-ing in her left knee while on a walking holiday.

Her family put it down to growing pains, but made a precautionary visit to her GP at the Malthouse Surgery, in Abingdon, who referred her to the John Radcliffe Hospital, in Oxford.

Doctors there found a malignant tumour – osteosarcoma – in the knee.

The family was told the condition affects only five children a year in the UK.

The day before Christmas Eve she was put on a Hickman line – a self contained catheter which administers drugs as well as takes blood samples.

But the St Helen and St Katherine School pupil insisted on enjoying the festive period.

She said: “We just got on with it. We were decorating the Christmas tree and then went to the hospital.

“There was no point worrying about it, so when we got home we finished the tree.”

The day after Boxing Day Sophia went on to Kamran ward at the JR for her first session of chemotherapy.

Sophia had six five-week sessions and would spend three weeks of each one in hospital.

During that time she would attend school when she could and her friends were very supportive when her hair fell out in February.

She said: “Losing my hair didn’t affect me. I was given a wig and my mum said she felt guilty doing her hair in the morning.

“But I think it looks better short and it’s grown back curlier.”

On March 20, 2009, she had a six-hour operation to remove the affected bone and replace it with a metal prosthetic which doctors will extend with magnets as she gets older.

She said: “I was lucky because if they had hit a nerve during that operation they would have had to have amputated my leg.”

Due to the chemotherapy, the leg did not heal properly and she had a further operation in October to graft skin from her side on to the knee.

Her last chemotherapy session was in September and doctors have told her the disease is unlikely to come back.

Now Sophia’s picture will be on collection tins in all Tesco stores after the supermarket chose her to front a campaign which is expected to raise millions for Clic Sargent.

Sophia said: “I’ve seen my face on the tins and it was weird, but I’m proud. The Clic Sargent nurses did a lot for me when I was ill.”

The campaign is officially launched at the Abingdon store, in Marcham Road, tomorrow.

Her mother Caroline, a teacher at Manor Prep School, said: “We’d like to say a huge thank you to the hospital staff and Clic Sargent nurses.

“Hopefully, this campaign will help their good work.”

Charity chief executive Lorraine Clifton said: “We are thrilled that Clic Sargent has been chosen as the Tesco Charity of the Year for 2010.”

bellery@oxfordmail.co.uk