TWO days before he was due to walk her down the aisle, Duncan MacKenzie carried the coffin of his only child at her funeral.

His daughter, Laura, was preparing for her wedding day when she lost her courageous battle with lung cancer on July 15, 2008.

She was 24. Almost a decade on, her Cardenden parents want to raise £10,000 to mark the 10th anniversary of her death.

Duncan and his wife Lindsay continue to raise funds and awareness in Laura's name and a 'Pink MacKenzie' zumbathon will be held in Bowhill Community Centre on Friday April 20.

Lindsay said: "She was a fabulous young woman, a pilates teacher who was healthy and happy.

"She never smoked or took drugs, she was a vegetarian and someone who was very fit.

"Laura was misdiagnosed for nine months. She was in London and they thought it was TB or pneumonia, they thought she was too well to have cancer.

"They didn't discover it in time."

Laura, whose mum Maureen and grandfather also died of lung cancer, was diagnosed in April 2007 when she was 23.

She fought the disease and survived longer than doctors had expected.

Stepmother Lindsay said: "We loved her to bits. That's why this year we wanted to do fun things, raise awareness and money. It's the 10th year so we have a target of £10,000."

The Pink MacKenzie charity event is a zumbathon from 7-9pm and tickets, available from the family firm, It's Beds & Pine in Cardenden, cost £5.

There will also be a raffle – prizes are welcome – and participants are encouraged to wear something pink, Laura's favourite colour, to have fun and enjoy the exercise while raising money for a great cause.

Proceeds will go to charities that helped her, Maggie's Edinburgh, Clic Sargent, Marie Curie, Roy Castle Lung Cancer Foundation, The Willow Foundation and Teenage Cancer Trust.

She also helped them by raising awareness of lung cancer and the warning signs.

Lindsay remembered: "She was mad about animals. The Willow Foundation – which tries to give seriously ill young adults unforgettable special days – arranged for her to be a keeper for a day at Blairdrummond Safari Park.

"She loved elephants and got to feed them, we've got some beautiful photos of that day."

The MacKenzies hope to raise more money with a 150 mile walk from Hull to Liverpool, with the Roy Castle Lung Cancer Foundation, in May and the Kiltwalk in September.

Laura, who moved to London aged 17 to study dance and theatre skills, achieved one of her life's ambitions when she performed in a West End show.

She was a big fan of the Spice Girls and her fiance, Richard Hagger, proposed when they were at the band's concert at the O2.

Lindsay said: "He's a wonderful young man. He gave up everything for Laura, his job and life in London, to move up here when she became ill.

"He was a real inspiration."

Laura and Richard bought a house in South Queensferry and the couple had decided on a humanist wedding.

Sadly, she died 12 days before the big day and the humanist they had chosen ended up performing her funeral service, which included a pink coffin and pink hearse, and mourners dressed in pink.

Days later, Duncan had to pick up Laura's wedding dress and the rings.

Speaking at the time, he had said: "Richard put a wedding ring on Laura's finger (while she was in her coffin). It was the saddest thing I will ever encounter in my lifetime."

This week, Lindsay told the Times: "She was a very positive person. She didn't know what was going to happen, she just got up, put her face on and faced the world.

"We know now, that when she started the journey she had no hope. We went back to the hospice after she passed away and the doctor said it had spread everywhere.

"They knew the cancer would take her but Laura didn't want to know how long she had and we didn't know either, we couldn't have faced her if we had.

"She just got up and fought every day."

To buy tickets for the Pink MacKenzie charity event, call 01592 720373.