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It's been a year since transgender Nicole Lax died after becoming the “princess” she dreamed of.

But now her grieving mum is urging others to follow their life paths and become the person they want to be.

Nicole was born into the world as a boy and left as a woman.

The brave 21-year-old had fought off bullying, name calling and beatings to become the glamorous female she yearned for.

But, after her courageous battle for acceptance, Nicole died on July 24 2015 after taking a lethal cocktail of morphine, diazepam and anti-depressants.

Now, after the year anniversary of her death, her proud mum Nicola has sent out a heart-warming message to others who are going through similar experiences as her daughter, along with a warning not to take drugs.

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“My heart goes out to the kids out there who are born gender dysphoria, they go through turmoil,” said Nicola, 47, of South Moor, near Stanley, County Durham.

“They sometimes get labelled as having ADHD, because they can be the naughty ones in the class, but they are just different and are trying to come to terms with who they are.

“When Nicky looked in the mirror as a little boy she was disgusted with who she was. In her mind she was a girl and that is what she always thought. She had always been a girl in her mind.

“It is a difficult journey and people should follow their dreams and become the person they want to be.”

From an early age Nicole knew she was different and was diagnosed gender dysphoria - a girl in a boy’s body. By the time she was 13 she was living her life as a young woman.

Nicole, of Durham, had her name changed from Nicky by deed poll and although she didn’t go through any operations, she took hormone replacement from being 16.

Nicola added: “It has got better over the latter years, even since Nicky started living as a girl. She went through name calling such as tranny and drag artist but she was transgender.

“Anyone going through this should be given the respect they deserve.

“We are proud for what Nicky stood for and how she became the person she wanted to be. She loved life and I just want others to be happy and live their lives how they want.

“It takes time for families to get used to what is happening. I lost Nicky twice. I grieved for her when she went from a boy to a girl and then when she passed away. But we were proud of what Nicky did. A dream is worth while following and people should do what makes them happy.”

In February deputy coroner for Durham Crispin Oliver recorded a verdict of misadventure and ruled out the possibility of suicide.

He said: “She was a brave person who faced down the bullies and was a bit of a party animal.

“She was not remotely interested in causing the end of her life.”

On July 24, a year after Nicole died, her family and friends celebrated her life.

“It was a quiet gathering of family and friends and we talked about her happy memories, we laughed a lot and remembered how she was a party animal,” said Nicola. “Nicky went through a lot to get to be the person she became and I urge anyone who is going through what Nicky went through to follow their dream.”