A teenager has been honoured in the House of Commons following her incredible battle with cancer.

Professional cookery student Emily Mackay was commended at a ceremony for the winners of the Student of the Year Award.

The 19-year-old received the award for showing commitment to her work at East Kent College Broadstairs Campus, while displaying heroic levels of bravery during the last couple of years.

She said: “I was shocked and wasn’t expecting it at all.

“It was really overwhelming that the tutors thought that highly of me.”

Emily was diagnosed with osteosarcoma, a cancer found in young people normally in leg or arm bones, in November 2013.

Her tumour was in the right thigh bone and lower left side of her back.

After bouts of chemotherapy in February 2014 her femur and right hip were replaced with silver-coated metal as the tumour was removed.

In May 2014, East Kent College held a fundraising dinner and raised £3,555 for the Teenage Cancer Trust, which supported Emily.

Emily, who is from Herne Bay, said: “When I was diagnosed the first time, I had to drop out and went back the next year to finish my course.

“Then I was diagnosed with a lung tumour and I was receiving chemo and I kept having a week off college and then a week back, in between treatment.”

Almost one year on from the hip and femur replacement, in February 2015, Emily was diagnosed again, this time with lung cancer.

“For me cancer doesn’t define you – it’s just a part of your life. You can work past it..." Emily Mackay

In April last year the college held a second Teenage Cancer Trust dinner, again raising more than £3,500.

After undergoing more chemotherapy, Emily was told in July that her pelvic tumour was stable and the lung tumour had calcified and begun to shrink.

The teenager said it was her love of cooking and food that kept her going.

She found out last October the lung tumour was starting to come back and she would have to start radiotheraphy in November to try and beat it.

It was later that month Emily found out, after another CT scan, that she had a brain tumour.

It was removed in an operation on November 26 but in January her arm started to feel weak again and her left leg started to feel unresponsive.

An emergency MRI was booked for Emily on January 8, and she found out that the brain tumour had come back once again.

Four days later she was back in surgery having the tumour removed.

The teenager, who has now completed her professional cookery course, remains positive and is starting radiotherapy in the coming weeks to keep the tumour away.

She said: “For me cancer doesn’t define you – it’s just a part of your life.

“You can work past it and deal with it and think I can get through if you have something to focus on.”

East Kent College principal Graham Razey said: “I’m not sure many teenagers would have had the strength of character to continue when faced with such adversity.

“Her tale is truly an inspirational one – and one which I think we should all pay heed to.”