A woman who lost both her legs to meningitis is preparing to leave the UK to take part in the New York Marathon.

Clare Forbes and her stepfather Eiffie Verboot are flying out to the US on Wednesday for the marathon this weekend.

The 21-year-old from Broadfield, Crawley, hit the headlines earlier this year when she took part in the London Marathon, finishing in 19 hours and ten minutes.

She had both her legs amputated below the knee when she contracted meningitis in 2001, fell into a coma and did not wake up for six months.

Clare also contracted the hospital superbug MRSA and "died" twice on the way to a hospital in London.

The family nearly did not make it to the marathon after the Meningitis Trust withdrew Clare's entry because it said it was worried about her health and safety.

Clare and her family were furious and said the decision was hers to make and she was determined to go ahead.

Farnham- based company 2.09 Events, which co-ordinates entries to the marathon, stepped in to give Clare and Mr Verboot tickets to take part.

Mr Verboot said: "We have been training hard and preparations are going well. We are hoping to finish in about 14 or 15 hours but we will see how things go.

"We have had a lot of support both here and in the US as well and we are looking forward to it."

Any money Clare raises from the marathon will be divided between the Douglas Bader Association, the Achilles Road Runners (a running organisation for disabled people) and the appeal for victims of Hurricane Katrina.

Clare's long-term aim is to raise £1 million for charity as a way of saying thank-you to all those who helped save her life and have supported her over the years.