A TEENAGER who "walked away from death" at least five times has said an emotional farewell to family and friends by choosing the songs for her funeral.

Emily Culligan, 19, lost her brave fight against a rare form of bone cancer last week.

Hundreds of pals and relatives packed Our Lady of Perpetual Succour for the teenager's funeral yesterday to hear songs including Coldplay's The Scientist, which contains the emotive lyrics, "Nobody said it was easy. It's such a shame for us to part."

Emily, of Lynthorpe Road, in the Infirmary area of Blackburn, was diagnosed with cancer last January.

And after nine months of intensive chemotherapy treatment and surgery, it was thought she had beaten the disease.

But two months ago she got a pain in her arm and her family's worst fears came true when doctors confirmed the disease had returned.

Because part-time care assistant Emily had previously spent eight weeks in intensive care after a bad reaction to chemotherapy, further treatment was not an option. She died on May 27. At the service, Father Brian Kealey spoke of her fighting spirit. He said: "Emily was a young woman with incredible strength.

"To my knowledge she walked away from death at least five times. She was a normal young girl and she was incredible.

"Five weeks before she died she built up her strength, put on fancy dress and went to the 21st birthday party of a friend.

"She must have been in pain but all she seemed to show was courage and fun and defiance."

Her mum Lesley, 44, said: "It was an aggressive form of cancer but she loved to party and she fought this all the way.

"She really was the best, she sparkled. She was strong-willed and strong-minded and strong in her body, she fought and fought. I am incredibly proud of her."

Emily's coffin was carried by her brothers John, 21, and Thomas, 23, together with four friends. As well as The Scientist, Emily also chose Eternal's Angel and Nora Jones' I Don't Know Why to be played during the service, which was followed by cremation at Pleasington Crematorium.

After the service Emily's friend Kellie Ashby, 19, said: "She was so bubbly and outgoing and always up for a laugh. She will be missed by a lot of people."