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Teenager Whitney Hackett thought she had just got a bad stomach ache and brushed it off, but her pains turned out to be cancer.

Whitney, 19, of Bell Lane, Hartshorne, is for all intents and purposes an ordinary teenager who enjoys listening to music, watching TV and spending time with her boyfriend, but she is also battling bowel cancer, which usually only affects people aged over 60. Just one in 10 sufferers are under the age of 60.

When the pains first started she initially took paracetamol, but they did not go away and gradually got worse so she went see her doctor.

In November she was diagnosed with stage four bowel cancer. She was immediately admitted to Queen's Hospital in Burton and later moved to the Hogarth Unit at Nottingham City Hospital, which offers specialised treatment for teenagers battling cancer.

She said: "On the day of Halloween last year I was in agonising pain. I had been having pains now and then since August, but on that day the pains were unbearable.

"We went to the hospital and they admitted me. I had an operation as they thought it could be my appendix or an ovarian cyst.

"It turned out to be a tumour wrapped around my ovary so the doctors had to remove it all. They then told us it was bowel cancer but it had moved from the bowel.

"I'm waiting to have some more scans soon to see if it has gone elsewhere."

Whitney is now back at home where enjoys relaxing with her three chihuahua dogs, Louis, Cassie and Daisy. She says Louis never leaves her side and it is as if he though he knows she is battling the disease.

The former Pingle Academy and then William Allitt School pupil is currently undergoing a six-month course of chemotherapy, which is hoped will deal with the cancerous cells.

After the first few sessions of chemotherapy, Whitney's dyed blue hair started to fall out and she decided to shave it all off to avoid it going patchy.

She now has a wig of long blonde locks for the days when she feels more self-conscious.

Her family admit they struggled with Whitney's diagnosis at first. Her mum, Sara James, 47, said the experience has been something she would not wish on anyone.

She said: "After Whitney was diagnosed the weight seemed to just drop off her. She was around eight stone previously and it felt like she had dropped to just over five overnight. She was extremely ill.

"There was one morning that I went into her room and saw her cuddled up with the dogs. I thought it was cute so I took a photo but now when I look back on it, she looks completely lifeless.

"Now I don't go into her room in the morning, I wait for her to get up herself. I'm scared that one day I will go in and she won't wake up."

Whitney is now doing much better and has started to put some of the weight back on. She is able to get back to doing the things she loves like drawing her favourite Anime cartoon characters and listening to music.

The future, however, is still uncertain for Whitney.

Sara added: "I wouldn't wish this on my worst enemy.

"She's had to write a will and I've had to talk to her about what casket she would like or what song she wants at her funeral. I shouldn't have to ask my 19-year-old daughter that. It should be the other way around.

"She won't ever get better from this but I just don't want to face it."

After a lot of tears the family says they have decided to focus on helping Whitney achieve everything on her bucket list.

At the top of the list is a once-in-a-lifetime trip to Japan.

Being a huge fan of Anime films and TV shows, and Manga comics, which originate in Japan, Whitney has wanted to visit the country since she was a little girl - and after setting up an online fund-raising page that could soon become a reality.

She said: "When we go it will be the time when the cherry blossoms are everywhere so I'd really like to see that.

"We also want to go to Zao Fox Village, where the foxes have overrun the village and you can go and visit them. I love foxes so that would be a dream come true.

"There's also a town that has been overrun by deer who live with the people there. They have even learned to bow to humans!"

Whitney's brother, Sam, 29, set up an online GoFundMe page in hopes they would be able to raise enough money to pay for Whitney, her boyfriend, Jamie Bee, Sam and her auntie, Jessica Russell, to take the trip to Japan at the end of April.

The family say the support they have received from complete strangers has been overwhelming and has restored their faith in humanity. One man who owns a chauffeur company has offered to take Whitney to and from the airport in a luxury Mercedes, while another man, living in Japan, has offered to show her around and help her meet her Anime idols.

Closer to home, the family say they have seen great kindness from people in the local community as hundreds have donated money or items that will help.

When Whitney returned home from hospital, doctors told her she needed a thermometer so that her mum could keep an eye on her temperature. The one she needed cost £50, but staff at Boots in Swadlincote decided to give it to them as a gift to help the family out.

Also on Whitney's bucket list is to go to Download Festival at Donington Park and see some of her favourite bands, including Avenged Sevenfold and Baby Metal.

She would like to stay at the festival for the whole weekend, but she fears she may not be well enough, particularly as the festival has a history of bad weather. She said however, she is determined to go for one day to see her favourite bands play.

Whitney is also hoping that cancer screening, including for bowel cancer, particularly for people who have a history of the disease in their family, will be available for everyone, regardless of their age in the hope that her plight will not be repeated.

She said: "My grandma died of bowel cancer and the doctors were aware that cancer runs in the family.

"I should have been screened for it because of my grandma. I'm hoping that doctors will start to screen people at a younger age, especially if its in their family.

"I know my situation is very rare and it usually is found in older people, but if it happened to me, it can happen again."

Things to do in Japan

Whitney seems to have her trip to Japan all mapped out. Here are some of the other things she hopes to while she is there.

According to TripAdvisor, these are the best things to get up to include:

Mount Fuji

The active volcano is a must-see for tourists and is snow-capped for five months of the year creating spectacular views for those who visit the area.

(Image: Getty)

The Bullet Train

The network of high-speed railway lines in Japan are world-famous. The trains have maximum speeds of between 150 and 200mph, so this is definitely not one for the faint-hearted.

Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park

The park is located in the centre of Hiroshima. It is dedicated to its legacy as the first city in the world to suffer a nuclear attack in the Second World War. The park also pays homage to the bomb's direct and indirect victims, with almost 140,000 people thought to have been affected by the bomb and the nuclear side effects.

The Ghibli Museum

The museum showcases the work of Japanese animation studio, Studio Ghibli, which created classics such as Spirited Away and My Neighbour Totoro. The museum is dedicated to the art and technique of animation.

What is bowel cancer?

The NHS says bowel cancer is the general term for cancer that begins in the large bowel and is one of the most common types of cancer diagnosed in the UK. Most people diagnosed with it are over the age of 60.

The three main symptoms of the disease are persistent blood in stool, a persistent change in bowel habits and persistent lower abdominal pain.

However, the symptoms can be subtle and don't necessarily make people feel ill and so can often be ignored. The earlier this kind of cancer is spotted, the more likely it is that it can be treated.