A TIVERTON mum fighting cancer is backing an appeal from Cancer Research UK to save more lives, as new figures show one in two people will be diagnosed with the disease.

With around three weeks to go until the General Election, Ellie King, 32, is rallying people across the South West to get behind the charity’s Cross Cancer Out campaign and make sure their future MP is committed to beating cancer sooner.

Ellie was preparing for the birth of her baby in November 2012 when she received the news that no expecting mother would ever wish to hear – that she had cancer.

Living in Tiverton at aged 29 and working full time, Ellie’s world was turned upside down.

At 22 weeks of her pregnancy Ellie started to bleed but she never imagined that it would be symptoms leading to diagnosis of Cervical Cancer.

The first thought was of her baby and being able to get to a safe point for the baby to be delivered and starting chemotherapy allowed this to happen. Ten weeks prior to her due date Amelia was born and cared for in the neonatal baby unit at Exeter Hospital.

Ellie started an intense course of daily radiotherapy and weekly chemotherapy and after six months was given the all clear in May 2013.

Sadly six months later upon a routine check up Ellie and her partner Dan were given the news that Ellie’s cancer had returned, but with a terminal prognosis.

The cancer was now in her pelvic and para-aortic lymph nodes and only palliative chemotherapy was offered. Ellie received six cycles of chemotherapy before her body became resistant to it.

Ellie was treated at Exeter Hospital until they reached a point when they could no longer offer treatment.

At this stage she was referred to the Royal Marsden Hospital in Surrey to discuss being involved in clinical trials that may help give Ellie valuable time with Dan and her baby daughter.

A year on Ellie is still making the journey and participating in clinical trials and has been encouraged to see that the last CT scan has shown some reduction in the tumours.

Ellie, now age 32, said: “Some people may think that driving to Sutton and back from Devon each fortnight is a huge commitment, but if that time spent travelling gives me more time with Amelia and Dan then I will keep going there as long as I can.”

“Dan and I recently married and celebrated our honeymoon and Amelia is now two and I cherish every day we spend together. Being a mum of a toddler and going through cancer treatment is hard but you find a way.

"If these trials can keep me here with my family I will do all it takes, any possibility of hope or cure I will grasp it.”

“I know firsthand we cannot underestimate the devastating impact the disease will have on families.

"So it’s really important that MPs listen to their constituents by putting cancer at the top of their political agenda.

“One in two people being diagnosed with cancer at some stage in their lifetime is a striking statistic.

"Now more than ever it’s vital that the political drive to beat cancer matches the pace of progress in research.”