Dying woman spends £40,000 on plastic surgery.. to look like Demi Moore

EXCLUSIVE by Kelly Jenkins

'I want to die beautiful,' says cancer patient Lisa Connell.

A woman with an inoperable brain tumour is spending £40,000 on plastic surgery – so she can die looking like movie star Demi Moore.

Lisa Connell, 29, will use the money her mum Angela had saved up for Lisa’s wedding to pay for her new look.

“I’ve always dreamed of looking like Demi Moore and I’m determined that when I die I will,” she said.

Despite being a stunning brunette, Lisa has never been happy with her appearance and is convinced the surgery will make her look as beautiful as Demi, who is no stranger to cosmetic surgery herself.

She added: “People think I’m crazy for wanting to do this, but I know it will make my last months or years happier. I want to die beautiful. This is my way of getting the control back in my life.”

In a race against time, Lisa will undergo liposuction, a breast enhancement and eyebrow lift, plus work on her skin and teeth to fulfil her dream.

But mum Angela, 48, said: “I really don’t want Lisa to put herself through this. She is a beautiful girl and she doesn’t need the surgery.

“It was really hard for me to accept when she said she wanted to do this but she is my daughter, I love her and I want to bring joy to her life for however long she may have left.”

Lisa was just 27 when her life fell apart after she was told she had an inoperable brain tumour known as a meningioma.

The tumour was diagnosed after she had a miscarriage in 2006. Lisa had been suffering painful headaches and loss of sight in her left eye when she was pregnant and both conditions worsened after she lost the baby.

A scan at London’s Moorfields Eye Hospital showed she had a large tumour in the centre of her brain. It’s not cancerous, but because of its position it can never be removed.

After the diagnosis, Lisa, of Barnet, North London, attempted suicide twice as she struggled to get her life back on track.

Lisa said: “It is like living with a ticking time bomb. No specialist can tell me how long I have to live. I was so desperate I even tried to overdose on sleeping tablets.”

After meeting another brain tumour sufferer who urged her to stay positive, Lisa began a keep-fit programme, raising money for charity on a sponsored run.

However, just before Christmas Lisa’s condition worsened and she was admitted to hospital with a brain infection. A scan in January revealed the tumour had swelled – further limiting the amount of time she has left to live.

It was this scan which made Lisa decide to have the cosmetic surgery.

She said: “It is not the usual dream of someone with a terminal illness but it is my body, my choice.”

Lisa, who has been single since splitting with her partner shortly after the miscarriage, said: “I’m not going to have time to get married or buy a house. I have palsy in the left side of my face. My eye is starting to droop and not open properly and I have been told it will get worse as I will eventually lose all sensation.

“I want surgery on my face to correct the drooping and make it less drastic when my condition deteriorates. But I won’t leave it at that – I want the full works, top to toe, including my boobs as they are heading south.

“Demi is so attractive, beautiful and vibrant. I would love to look like her. I want to look beautiful when I die. Inside I’m melting away, but on the outside I want to be strong and stunning.”

Her idol Demi, 46, has already gone under the knife reportedly spending £250,000 on boob jobs, liposuction, facelifts and even a knee lift.

Lisa’s own surgery will be carried out at the Skin Health Spa clinic in London starting in the next two weeks. She is also aiming to raise £1million for brain tumour charities before she dies. She has set up a website www.rentadate forcharity.com, where people can bid for dates with celebrities backing her cause.

“I hope the surgery will give me a new lease of life and the confidence I need to live the rest of my days to the full.

“I can’t go and treat people. I can’t make them better. But I can raise awareness and I can raise funds for research.

“If I can do that I’ll die a happy woman. Happy and beautiful.”

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