A family from County Durham has been left devastated after a mum-of-three who is battling cancer was given just months left to live.
Emma Hardman, 41, from Stanley was diagnosed with breast cancer six months ago after finding a lump but was tragically told the cancer had spread.
Doctors told the family the cancer had spread to her spinal cord and brain fluid and on February 9 was told she had just months left to live.
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But the determined mum, who is also a grandmother-of-two, wants to try and fight this with the help of her family who is trying to raise money for treatment.
Emma is going to be given chemotherapy until she is not well enough to continue receiving it but the family is looking at other options to try to prolong her life including medical cannabis oil.
Her daughter Shannon Gibson, 25, said her mam is "not giving up any time soon" and hopes to raise as much money as possible.
Shannon said: "At the moment, she's trying to raise money because she's going to try anything that can prolong her life.
"She wants to try and fight it, she's not giving up any time soon.
"We're hoping to raise some money to try and prolong her life. My dad had brain cancer and he was given months left to live and we raised money for some cannabis oil.
"That was four years ago and he's still here now.
"We're not sure how much money we'll need in total so I'm just trying to raise as much as I can."
Emma was first diagnosed with breast cancer around six months ago after finding a lump.
Shannon explained: "She found a lump and then she went to the doctors and by the time they got her to the hospital for a scan she had seven lumps so it's quite aggressive.
"The doctors said it's quite rare to spread where it has.
"We were told she had months rather than years left to live."
Shannon said her mam is trying to get up and about despite her ill health and said she will receive chemotherapy until she is no longer able to.
The daughter said: "She's quite ill but she's trying to get up and about, she tries her hardest to get on with things.
"They're going to try to give her chemotherapy and they said they'll give her that until she can't take it anymore as it will probably make her quite ill.
"She doesn't want to spend the last days of her life in bed poorly so they'll give her chemotherapy until she doesn't feel well enough to continue."
Shannon has set up a Go Fund Me page with a target of £1,000 but hopes to raise as much as possible.
She added: "My mam does anything for everybody else. She did a boxing match and raised money for Cancer Research and everything she does is to help others but now she needs help."
If you would like to donate to the Go Fund Me page, you can do so here.
