THE mum of Melissa Adams says she was so emotional after seeing her daughter speak her first word.

The 12-year-old from Eccleston was diagnosed with the rare genetic disorder Angelman Syndrome in 2006, which gave her a number of disabilities, including not been able to speak.

However, after years of trying Melissa finally spoke her first word "Mama" last week.

"We were just sat watching TV and I was taking no notice and she just said 'Mama'," said mum Kathryn.

"I thought, she didn't say that and I just grabbed the phone and said say what you did again, it was amazing.

"We've been doing lots of exercises and it's one of the hardest sounds to learn so that's the one we've been concentrating on for all the years of training."

Kathryn added: "It was really emotional. You always hope that it's going to happen but I didn't think it would be soon. Most people with Angelman don't have any words at all.

"It was one of those things, you think did you mishear. It was pretty emotional."

A Casino Royale-themed event is taking place at Larkins restaurant on Saturday, April 16 to help raise funds for Melissa's family to create a sensory room for her.

For more information visit www.melissassmile.weebly.com or email katangelman15@gmail.com.