A COURAGEOUS schoolgirl has bravely spoken out about the tragic loss of both her parents to the same heart condition by the time she was just 16.

Bethany Brotherton was only 13 when her dad Michael, who was 47, passed away from dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) in 2014.

In a cruel twist of fate, the disease also robbed her of her mum Alison last year, at the age of 50.

DCM is a condition affecting the heart muscle where it becomes stretched, thin and ultimately unable to pump blood around the body efficiently.

Despite the agony of losing both parents at such a young age, Bethany, 16, is bravely sharing her story to help others and support the British Heart Foundation (BHF).

Bethany, who lives in Slaemuir in Port Glasgow, told the Tele: “I lost my dad from it in April 2014 then in August last year my mum.

“By chance they had the same condition.

“My dad had battled DCM for seven years but it became terminal.

“With my mum it was completely different and she passed away in her sleep.

“Because both suffered from heart failure I thought this year would be the best time to start raising awareness of it.

“It’s scary but I thought it was better to get up and raise awareness instead of hiding from it.

“The charity is special to me, and if there is a way I can contribute to them, to help people who are in the same position my mum and dad were in, I will try my best to achieve that.”

Bethany is now looked after by her brothers and sisters and says they have been a massive source of support, as have the staff and her fellow pupils at Port Glasgow High School.

She said: “I have five older siblings so I’m not alone.

“If I didn’t have them I don’t know what I would be doing because it’s crazy.

“All my friends in school and the staff have been great as well.

“There’s a support base there and there’s always a place for me to go and someone to talk to.”

Bethany’s friend Chloe Sharp, 16, helped her organise a wear red day in school on Friday with everyone donning clothes in the colour of BHF to raise awareness of the charity.

It also helped raise £300 for the organisation.

Chloe said: “Bethany’s so brave and everybody is right behind her.

“It was a sad day but I’m glad everybody wore red, donated money and supported Bethany.

“It went really well and we had a really good turnout.”

As well as starting charity work, fifth year pupil Bethany planning to pursue a career in bereavement support, particularly with young people.

She said: “Everybody knows my story and why I wanted to do this, so it was really nice to see everyone show up and show their support.

“I’ve signed up to be a local fundraiser for the charity and thought this would be a good road to go down because I’m still at school.

“When I leave I want to go into bereavement counselling for younger people especially because I have that experience and can empathise.

“What I would say to others is it does get better.

“People are always saying I’m so strong, especially at my age, and that it must be hard because they’ve never heard of anybody being through so much so young.

“It’s better to have your voice heard than hide away and let it get to you.”