Ed Sheeran meets terminally ill fan Channan Petrides to tick item off her bucket list

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Channan Petrides, 22, was diagnosed with cystic fibrosis as a baby
Sufferer from Stanford, Essex, was on transplant list for heart and lungs
She withdrew after deciding to make the most of the time she had left
Compiled a bucket list of dreams, with seeing her idol Ed Sheeran top

Published: 07:40 EST, 15 July 2015 | Updated: 15:44 EST, 15 July 2015

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A terminally ill cystic fibrosis sufferer has fulfilled her ultimate dream of meeting Ed Sheeran - who she said 'smelled amazing.'

Channan Petrides, 22, from Stanford, Essex, revealed last month she had removed herself from the NHS organ transplant list in order to make the most of the time she had left.

She wrote a list of things to do before she died - which included seeing Sheeran perform at the top, along with meeting her idol a few items down.

Smiles all around: Terminally ill Channan Petrides with her sister, Courtny, meeting Ed Sheeran backstage before his Wembley Arena show

In a Facebook, Miss Petrides said: 'So today I get to meet Ed Sheeran. My life is now complete'

She also set up a GoFundMe page, which currently has more than £13,000 in donations - 13 times the original £1,000 target.

Now Miss Petrides is one step closer to completing her final wishes after meeting Ed Sheeran backstage before his Wembley Arena show in London.

It was a date she feared she would never see after being hit by pneumonia last month.

However, Miss Petrides overcame her health setback and was invited to meed her idol along with her twin sister Courtny, before watching him take to the stage.

Adding an excited post on Facebook, Miss Petrides said: 'So today I get to meet Ed Sheeran. My life is now complete.'

Miss Petrides compiled a wishlist of things to do before she died to make the most of the time she had left

The 22-year-old, pictured in hospital, was waiting for a new heart and lungs, but decided to remove herself from the transplant list

Ed Sheeran joins rock legends the Rolling Stones live on stage

Her comment received more than one thousand 'likes', with people from all over the world leaving messages of support.

One wrote: 'So happy for you hunni!! Keep living your dreams. You deserve the world. xx.'

Speaking after the event, Miss Petrides said meeting her singing hero was 'incredible'.

He was so lovely and genuine, he had a great sense of humour and was really easy to get on with

She continued: 'He was so lovely and genuine, he had a great sense of humour and was really easy to get on with.

'He signed my programme and we took some selfies together. He smelled amazing.'

Miss Petrides was diagnosed with cystic fibrosis, an incurable genetic condition which causes the lungs to fill with mucus, at just three months old.

Doctors were concerned when she failed to gain weight as a child, but the diagnosis only came after a nurse kissed her and noticed her skin tasted salty - one of the symptoms of the condition.

As well as struggling to breathe, sufferers often develop an enlarged heart, diabetes, and must take tablets with every meal to help them digest food.

Normally sufferers have a life expectancy of 40 years, but Miss Petrides' health declined sharply when she was just 19.

Treasured memories: Miss Petrides' autographed photo from Ed Sheeran (left) and her bucket list of dreams (right)

Miss Petrides is determined to complete every item on her list and has already been on safari to feed a lion (pictured right, a ticket stub from her trip)

Miss Petrides has been told she is in the end stages of the illness, with doctors estimating she has 18 months to live.

'People struggle to believe how ill I am because I don't look it,' she said. 'But the truth is that I do only have a certain amount of time left to live.

'My lungs rip so I cough up blood, and I've been on morphine since November for chronic chest pain.

'We really need better understanding of cystic fibrosis and how to treat it.'

People struggle to believe how ill I am because I don't look it. But the truth is that I do only have a certain amount of time left to live.

After a string of tests and assessments, Miss Petrides was placed on the waiting list for a lung transplant in June 2013.

By October 2014, her health had deteriorated and it was decided she would also need a new heart.

However, when she was rushed to hospital with a severe chest infection just a month later, she began to rethink her place on the transplant list.

'Don't get me wrong, I know transplants can be successful, I'm a registered donor myself,' she said.

'But over time, the cystic fibrosis will kill my organs too and I'll have to go through dying all over again.

'That's if they even found a match. I could spend my last few months stuck inside waiting for a call that never arrives. I wouldn't be able to go out, see my friends and make the most of my time because of the risk of infection.

'I'd far rather the organs went to somebody who would be able to go on and live a full, happy life.'

Miss Petrides has campaigned to raise awareness of cystic fibrosis and has donated money to other sufferers

Another item on her bucket list was watching a West Ham football game, pictured (left) wearing the team's scarf and (right) in an oxygen mask

Miss Petrides also had a football shirt signed in her honour after a charity football match to raise money for cystic fibrosis

Miss Petrides says people struggle to believe how ill she is because she 'doesn't look it'

After officially removing herself from the transplant list, Miss Petrides set up a GoFundMe page to help raise the money needed to complete her bucket list.

So far, she has ticked off adventures including tours of the Harry Potter studios and Madam Tussaud's, feeding a lion and flying in a helicopter.

Next she is planning a trip to Cornwall with her friends, a hot air balloon ride and a One Direction concert.

As well as raising awareness of cystic fibrosis, Miss Petrides has also topped up other fundraising pages, including donating £500 to a fellow sufferer for a physiotherapy vest.

'More than anything I want to educate people about cystic fibrosis. That's why I'm sharing my story,' she said.

'I'm not one for sympathy. I try to be as positive as I can and never like to splash it over social media if I'm having a bad day, but the response has been amazing.

'I've had messages of support from everywhere from Africa to Australia. The outpouring of support gets me through the day.'