'I want to stay alive ...cutting out my terminal cancer buys time to find me a cure'

Mum will be first in UK to have pioneering surgery

- By Paul Jeeves

A MOTHER with a rare form of lung cancer is set to become the first terminally ill British woman to undergo pioneering surgery to cut out her tumour.

Natasha Loveridge will this week join only a handful of stage 4 EGFR Positive patients with secondary progression worldwide to receive the operation, which she hopes will be a game-changer for the treatment of others stricken by the deadly disease.

The mum of two refused to accept the restriction of traditional treatment plans and since her shock diagnosis almost three years ago has repeatedly challenged her medical team to explore new ways to keep her alive.

Now the 51-year-old is set to undergo a UK-first operation after persuading doctors it could prove crucial in her fight to beat her terminal diagnosis.

While the surgery is not a cure for her stage 4 disease, medics hope it will reduce the amount of burden the primary tumour exerts on Natasha's body and the amount of cancer drugs she has to take.

Natasha said: "I'm doing it simply because I want the chance to stay alive. Hopefully, this means that when something does pop up again it's easier to treat because your body is dealing with less at the outset.