When Lily Briggs was hit with the devastating news she had an incurable brain tumour, you could understand if she wanted to give up on life.
But the brave teenager has refused to lay down and die - and has instead thrown herself into her studies.
Five years on from that earth-shattering news, she now has four A* grade A Levels under her belt and is also studying for a degree.
Lily, who is from Brecon, said: "When someone tells you you have a brain tumour, it feels like a death sentence.
"I just don't know what the future will hold. I know that my condition could worsen and that's pretty scary.
"But if I sat and wallowed in it, I wouldn't get anything out of life. Then if something serious did happen, I would have wasted my life."
Lily's symptoms began in 2013, where her dizziness and blackouts were initially put down to hormonal changes during puberty.
But when medication prescribed by a GP failed to help, her mum Wendy and dad Nic insisted she should see a specialist.
A paediatrician at Hereford Hospital then referred Lily - who was 13 at the time - for an MRI scan just in case.
Mum 'stripped of her dignity' after NHS bosses stopped funding life changing new drug
But within a very short time the family’s lives were turned upside down.
"After the first scan I was called back for a second one, because of a small area they couldn’t see," Lily recalled.
"After the second scan I was very quickly given blood tests, admitted to hospital and then told I had a brain tumour."
The teenager was later taken to Birmingham Children’s Hospital.
Although doctors aren't sure what type of tumour Lily has, it's been classified as a "low grade brain stem glioma".
Around 75% of brain stem glioma's are diagnosed in children and young adults under the age of 20, but they can affect older adults as well.
The tumour is less aggressive and looks like healthy cells. But that could change at any time.
Lily said: "I felt relieved when I found out. I wasn't surprised, I knew something serious was going on.
"Finally someone was telling me what was going on.
"You can finally do something about it."
Fresh hope for six-year-old boy in urgent need of a bone marrow transplant
Following a procedure to relieve pressure on her brain, Lily was sent home within a week and told she would need no further treatment.
But three years later, one of her regular scans revealed a fast-growing cyst - requiring further complex surgery.
After she left hospital in March 2017, Lily threw herself immediately into A Level revision – and in August of that year was rewarded with A* grades in Physics, Maths, English and the Welsh Baccalaureate.
She was then accepted at Leeds University to study aerospace engineering.
"I found adapting to independent life exhausting but I now love it and have settled right in," she added.
"Uni life is great! I do get fatigued sometimes but I’m generally able to keep up with most activities.
"I like going out, especially with the Backstage Society where I met most of my friends. We’re involved in shows most weeks so it’s quite busy but a lot of fun.
"My course is also keeps me occupied."
And despite the potential ticking timebomb in her head, Lily is not giving up on her dreams of becoming a primary school teacher.
She said: "There may be another build-up of fluid in my brain, the cyst may grow or the tumour could become more aggressive,"
"But I’m taking each day as it comes."
Lily is sharing her story in support of The Brain Tumour Charity during Brain Tumour Awareness Month, which runs throughout March.
Sarah Lindsell, chief executive of The Brain Tumour Charity, said: “We are immensely grateful to Lily for sharing her experience to help raise awareness of brain tumours and their symptoms.
“Her achievements in the face of her diagnosis are remarkable and we wish her the very best as she continues with her studies and her career.”
For more about brain tumours visit thebraintumourcharity.org
