A beloved grandma-of-six has battled with five different types of cancer in the past 40 years. Irene North's life was saved by one hero doctor in the 1980s and 1990s, Professor Tony Howell, who became Irene's friend after decades of treatment.
But when she went back to hospital in 2008, Irene could not believe who walked into her appointment. Irene was shocked to see that her new doctor looked exactly like Professor Tony - before he introduced himself as Sacha Howell, Tony's son.
Irene, now 71, was 'left terrified' when she was first diagnosed with breast cancer in 1987. The Tameside native was sent to be cared for at Manchester's internationally acclaimed cancer centre, The Christie, but that 'felt like a death sentence' in that era.
