Brave teenager Jessica Glynn refuses to give in.

The 16-year-old from Castlecroft in Wolverhampton has had three major operations and regular chemotherapy in a three-year fight against a rare liver cancer.

Last December, doctors told her there was nothing more they could do. But that crushing blow simply made Jessica and her defiant mother Lisa more determined.

The next day, Jess took a GCSE exam and Lisa set about investigating alternative treatments.

As a result the teenager is about to undergo revolutionary treatment in Belgium in a last-ditch attempt to remove the cancer.

Jess will have to travel to the continent for 10 weeks of treatment and her mother needs to find at least £10,000 to pay for it.

It is another test of bravery in a young life that has already faced up to the most horrific challenges. The drama started three years ago when Jess was diagnosed with a type of liver cancer so rare there are only five cases a year in the UK and around 200 worldwide.

The cancer strikes young people aged between 14 and 24. It started in Jess’s liver and she underwent her first major operation to remove the tumour in December 2004. The 10-hour surgery cut away 80 per cent of her liver and her gall bladder.

It was a tough time and Lisa, who has another daughter Naomi, aged 15, admits to doubting whether Jess would make it to Christmas. Complications led to a number of serious operations and extensive chemotherapy, but after an operation last November, Lisa and Jess reached their lowest point.

“They told us in December that they could do no more for Jess and that we should go home and make the most of the time that we have left,” said Lisa, who is a lecturer at the City of Wolverhampton College.

“As you can imagine, this was the most devastating news that you can ever hear.

“This was the first time Jess ever cried.” Remarkably, the next day Jess had a GCSE exam and decided to sit it. How does she cope? “I think it’s because I’m a stubborn person,” said Jess.

She takes her mind off the disease by hanging out with friends from Smestow School, spending time with boyfriend Peter and walking her dog Izzy. She also has a Saturday job at a hair salon.

Jess will face the dendritic cell therapy trial in Belgium later this year. The process sees a tumour removed from the body and treated at a clinic where it is injected with cells designed to “eat it”. The cells are gradually put back into the body.

Jess and Lisa are hoping for the go-ahead for the tumour to be removed at Birmingham Children’s Hospital. They have  launched an appeal to pay for the treatment. Email lisa.r.glynn@google mail.com or visit www.deliveracure.org