A 13-YEAR-OLD girl who faces an agonising decision about a cancer gene when she is 18 has begun using her singing talent for cancer relief charities.

Amelia Cockburn, of Nunthorpe, Middlesbrough, regional finalist in the prestigious Open Mic UK singing competition, sung to cafegoers to raise money for the MacMillan Nurses.

Her mother, Andrea, had a double mastectomy and her ovaries removed when she discovered she carried a rare cancer gene.

And Amelia will have to decide if she wants to be tested to see if she too carries the rare faulty BRCA1 gene. She and her sister have a 50 per cent chance of having the gene.

It is an awful decision for Amelia whose mum was struck down with breast cancer when she was just 40. As Andrea battled the disease, her own mum, Margaret Johnson, was diagnosed with an ovarian and bowel cancer that proved fatal.

Tests were carried out and it emerged Andrea and her sister, Margaret Stokoe, both had the cancer gene. The sisters both had double mastectomies and their ovaries removed.

Andrea is now clear of cancer but she had to tell her two daughters they had a chance of having the gene.

Ellie, her older daughter, turned 18 last year but elected not to have the test. Amelia knows she will have to make the same agonising decision when she is older.

But for now the youngster, who wants to be a West End, will concentrate on her singing talent.

Her mother said: “I was so proud she raised money for the MacMillan nurses. Cancer charities are close to our hearts, as you can imagine.

“Amelia and her two friends, Natalie Friesem COR and Rachel Egan, sang at Marks and Spencer cafe at Teesside Park and they did their bit to raise £5,000 for MacMillan Nurses which was fantastic. Her sister was serving coffees at the time.”