Young brain tumour victim Katie Street has left a precious legacy of hope for other sufferers of the disease.

LEGACY: Nigel and Ros Street, of York, pictured with the new ultrasound scanner for Leeds General Infirmary

Picture: Paul Baker

The five-year-old from Dunnington, who died just before Christmas after a long battle against her illness, inspired hundreds of people around the country to back a major drive to raise £40,000.

Now the money has bought a new high-tech ultrasound scanner for Leeds General Infirmary, where Katie was treated.

The machine, handed over to surgeons yesterday, will give them an extremely precise picture of a patient's tumour, making it easier for it to be removed completely.

And Katie's help in raising the money will be permanently remembered through a plaque placed on the scanner by her parents Ros and Nigel.

The plaque states: "In loving memory of Katie Alexandra Street, 1993-98, who inspired so many to give so much."

Philip van Hille, the hospital's head of neurosurgery, fought back tears as he said: "I worked with Katie from a very early stage. It has been a heartbreaking experience for all of us, and I don't understand how parents can cope with this. There is no greater curse that God can bestow than that we survive our children."

He spoke enthusiastically of how the scanner would help him and his colleagues during complex and delicate operations on the brain.

Guests of honour Ros and Nigel said they had let Katie, a very unselfish little girl, spearhead the campaign because they wanted some good to come out of what was happening. They also wanted to help other children with similar illnesses.

Nigel, who is managing director of Scarborough firm G A Pinder and Sons, said: "We very much wanted something to come out of what was obviously for us a very great tragedy. To have this coming out of it has given us some solace in our grief, without doubt."

Ros said a whole range of people had helped raise the money, including colleagues from her former workplace in London and a man who himself survived six brain operations in seven years who staged a 150-mile sponsored bike ride.

And a York friend, Megan Rule, had been pregnant and decided to raise money through getting sponsorship for her labour!

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.