Jasmin's brand of blithe spirit beats the bullies and major illness (with audio)

WHEN Jasmin Newton was told she had a brain tumour, her response was to say she would beat the affliction.

At the same time she was told she could lose her sight, but the 16-year-old said she would learn braille.

That was two years ago, and though she also had to face verbal abuse from young bullies, the pretty teenager was not bothered.

“I can't let any of this get my down,” she told herself.

“I have to rise above it all. When I get sick, I have to get better and when people are cruel I don't listen.”

Jasmin is deaf, partially-sighted and has suffered bouts of epilepsy.

“She also has hydrocephalus, which means she has too much fluid in the ventricles of the brain and a condition called hemiplegia, which leaves the left side of her body slightly paralysed.

Life has not been easy for Jasmin from the start – but she does not complain.

She was born 10 weeks early and weighed just 2lbs and 7ozs.

When she was three days old, Jasmin contracted meningitis, which left her with several profound medical problems.

Her mum, 37-year-old Marcia, said she was in awe of her daughter.

“She is courageous,” said Marcia, of Union Street, South Normanton.

“She is very determined. She wants to be successful and make something of herself.

“Knowing Jasmin, she'll do just that. She has never, ever complained.”

Despite bouts of ill-health, Jasmin remains positive. When she suffers a setback, she picks herself up and carries on.

“It wasn't very nice to be told that my eyesight was failing,” said Jasmin, who wants to become a teacher, “but I knew that I'd be able to learn braille.

“When I got back from the hospital, I rushed upstairs and sorted out my bedroom.

“I figured that if I were to lose my sight, I needed to have a good sort out beforehand.”

When a problem crops up, Jasmin solves it. Immediately.

In the past two years, she has undergone serious operations to replace the implant – called a shunt – used to drain excess fluid from around the brain.

She has missed many months of schooling but has continued her studies at home.

“I have to keep going,” said Jasmin. “I want to do well. I can't keep thinking about my problems. What's the point in that?”

Jasmin has just completed GCSEs at The Meadow Community School in Chesterfield and she is hoping for great things with predicted passes of grade C and above.

“I did quite a lot of work at home,” said Jasmin, “but I had to go into school for the exams. It was fine. I'm feeling confident. I'll get my results next month.”

It is Jasmin's biggest wish to secure a place at the RNIB College, Loughborough, where she will be able to complete A-level studies.

It is another brave move for Jasmin. It's probably her biggest leap but she doesn't see it as such and remains cool.

If she is offered a place, Jasmin will have to leave home to complete the next two years of her education.

She will be based on the college campus and encouraged to live independently.

Although Jasmin is excited about the future, she admits it could be strange for her to be away from her family.

She says it is her nine-year-old sister, Skye, that she will certainly miss the most.

“She's been my eyes and my ears for a very long time,” said Jasmin.

“When I go out, she usually comes with me. She helps me. She listens out for me and watches my every move. She's so brilliant, we're very close.”

Jasmin and Skye have always shared a special bond. From the minute Skye was born, Jasmin loved her dearly.

As her little sister began to grow up, Jasmin soon realised how much she would come to depend on her.

“They've both had to give up a lot,” said their mother.

“Skye has been forced to stop her gymnastics class because we have so many hospital appointments for Jasmin.

“And Jasmin can't be as independent as she likes because she can't cope as well as others who are the same age as her.

“If Skye goes out with her, then I'm not worried. They'll walk to the shops and I don't mind if they're together,”

Jasmin's schoolmates have been extremely supportive and by way of saying “thank you” to them all, her mother threw a huge 16th birthday for Jasmin at their home to which 60 children were invited.

“It was brill,” said Jasmin, who uses a white and red cane when she ventures out.

“Then my dad decided to get up and sing. It all got silly after that.”

Sadly, Marcia cannot speak highly of those local youngsters who, she says, have made unkind remarks about her daughter's disabilities.

“It's unbelievable, isn't it?” she said.

“Jasmin has already been through so much and then young people start being cruel.

“I can't understand it, but it has been totally out of order.”

Jasmin does not bat an eyelid when her mum goes on to reveal the kind of things people have been saying about her daughter.

“They've called her a retard and everything,” said Marcia. “People round here know that she's been through some stuff – it's very sad. They've called her some mean names and have been threatening too.”

Marcia has spoken to the police about these incidents in a bid to put a stop to them.

“I don't care about it,” said Jasmin. “I don't let it get me down. I don't respond and I think that winds them up all the more.

“I never fight back. It's not worth it.”

Marcia knows her daughter has a great outlook on life and she is grateful for that. She works hard to provide the best support she can but it upsets her when things go wrong.

“It's a juggling act because I've got Skye and my 23-month-old son, Marley, to look after.

“Life is busy,” she said. “But that's fine. We've had some great support over the past couple of years. Jasmin never feels sorry for herself and that's what amazes me the most.

“My husband, Karl, my mum and my brother have been great. We cope.

“Her teachers have been wonderfully helpful too, especially Mrs Wilson and Mr Kench.”

It was two years ago that Jasmin's condition took a turn for the worse – until then she had been coping well.

But when she started suffering headaches, Marcia began to worry.

“We were told that she needed to have her shunt replaced and she went into hospital for the operation. It was a worrying time.

“Her sight had been failing and that's when we were told that she had a brain tumour.

“Doctors called it a pituitary adenoma and said it was benign. There was no need to operate, but it had to be monitored in case it started to grow.”

Since becoming sight-impaired, Jasmin has completed the Race for Life in Nottingham and raised more than £300 for Cancer Research.

She ran the race alongside her sister, her mum and their friend, Sandra.

“Every day, Jasmin proves that anything is possible,” smiled Marcia.

“She never ceases to surprise me. Nothing stops her. Nothing defeats her. Even the bullying didn't upset her. It made her more determined.

“Jasmin is a credit to the youth of today and is an inspiration to all kids her age.

“She has been through hell in the past two years but she's still fighting...”