IT IS five years since Kilmarnock teenager Lauren Currie died, shortly after being diagnosed with vasculitis.

To mark the poignant anniversary, her parents Grant and Adrienne, who work tirelessly to raise awareness of the devastating disease, are organising a 5k walk with a difference - and they are hoping hundreds of people will take part.

Here, the couple talk to ANN FOTHERINGHAM about the loss of Lauren and her legacy, five years on.

SINCE Grant and Adrienne Currie set up the Lauren Currie Twilight Foundation in memory of their only child, awareness of the auto-immune disease vasculitis has reached an all-time high.

The charity has funded research, formed support groups and run high-profile events, raising hundreds of thousands of pounds. It has built the first Twilight Cabin, a 'chill-out' holiday home for people diagnosed with vasculitis, and their families. There are now three Scottish vasculitis clinics - in Glasgow, Edinburgh and Aberdeen - and at the recent International Vasculitis Conference in London, attended by hundreds of specialists from around the globe, the Lauren Currie Twilight Foundation was one of only three charities in the world supported by the event.

"We are delighted so much is now being invested in research projects around the world, and that awareness of vasculitis among the public and the medical profession is growing," says Grant. "But there is still a long way to go."

Fifteen-year-old Lauren died in October 2010, just two days after being admitted to hospital.

"I'd taken her to the GP three times that week, because she kept coughing," recalls Adrienne. "The third time we were referred to ENT, because the doctor looked at Lauren's throat and said he had never seen anything like it."

Grant adds: "At the hospital, everything happened very quickly. Suddenly, there was a crash team around us, and our hearts sank...."

Less than 48 hours later, Lauren died. She had Wegener's Granulomatosis, now called Granulomatosis with Polyangiitis, a variant of vasculitis. It is a disease which attacks the blood vessels in the nose, sinuses, ears, lungs and kidneys, leading to tissue damage and organ failure. More than 3000 people are diagnosed with vasculitis each year in the UK and if caught early enough, it can be treated. Sadly, in Lauren's case, it was too advanced.

"It was so fast - just a week before, she had climbed to the top of the Wallace Monument in Stirling," says Adrienne. "She had had problems with tonsilitis before, some sinus pain, and she had odd, little blue spots on her face which she was worried about. But no-one had put it all together."

Grant and Adrienne knew nothing about vasculitis, so they were shocked to discover that if caught early enough, it is treatable.

Grant explains: "The problem with vasculitis is that the symptoms are so varied and it affects people of different ages in different ways. It's 'joined up thinking' that's needed, which is why it's so great that the clinics, which bring different specialists together, are now up and running.

"We didn't know what Lauren had died of until we read her death certificate. It was weeks later before we found a doctor who could explain it to us, in terms we understood. There was hardly any information out there, and we thought - we could make a difference here. We could help to change this."

The couple started work almost immediately on plans for the Foundation, which they named Twilight in honour of Lauren's obsession with the books and films of the same name.

The charity can be what Adrienne calls a "double edged-sword".

"I've met people who were in the same position as Lauren, but who have then, thankfully, met the specialist who can help," she says, slowly. "And that's fantastic, of course, but then I think - why couldn't that have been Lauren, too?"

Running the Foundation on top of full-time jobs - Grant, 44, is a facilities manager; Adrienne, 47, is a primary school teacher - is hard work but both admit it helps them cope with the loss of their daughter.

"You give it 100 per cent, all the time, because it stops you from opening doors to things you don't want to think about," says Grant. "It doesn't matter how long it's been, or how many times you have spoken about it, it's still hard."

The couple intend to mark the fifth anniversary of the charity's launch in style. On June 13, a special 5k walk through Pollok Park (at twilight, of course) will culminate in a special showing of the first Twilight movie at a pop up outdoors cinema.

And then, on September 18, X Factor winner Shayne Ward will perform at the 2015 Black and Red Vasculitis Charity Ball at the Thistle Hotel in Glasgow.

"It's great to have Shayne on board," smiles Grant. "The ball has grown every year and now attracts around 300 people.

"And we are looking forward to the Twilight in the Park event too - it's a bit different, a 5k walk or run with a few surprises along the way, and then the movie. I think Lauren would have approved - in fact, she would have been in the front row...."

FACTBOX

Twilight in the Park takes place on June 13 from 7pm in Pollok Country Park.

Tickets cost £10 for adults and £5 for children. Adults raising a minimum of £50 and children raising a minimum of £25 for The Lauren Currie Twilight Foundation will obtain free entry.

Tickets for the ball, on Friday, September 18 at 7pm, include a champagne reception and three-course dinner. They cost £60 or £90 for premium seats.

Visit www.thelaurencurrietwilightfoundation.org or call 0845 600 5855 for tickets and more information.