BRAVE mum Hayley Newbery, 25, has lost her battle against cancer – after fighting to be given a life-saving drug. She died at St James Hospital, Leeds, on Friday, following a 15-hour operation to remove tumours from her bowel and liver. Last year Hayley

BRAVE mum Hayley Newbery, 25, has lost her battle against cancer - after fighting to be given a life-saving drug.

She died at St James' Hospital, Leeds, on Friday, following a 15-hour operation to remove tumours from her bowel and liver.

Last year Hayley was diagnosed with bowel cancer while 17 weeks pregnant with her third child, Lucy.

She was given only two months to live unless she was given the drug Avastin, which starves tumours of blood, and stops them growing.

But the treatment was said to cost £50,000.

The Royston, Buntingford, and Bishop's Stortford NHS Primary Care Trust eventually agreed to fund the drug in October last year, because of her "exceptional circumstances".

Dr Malcolm Perkin, the trust's public health director, said then: "Because of the circumstances of Hayley's medical condition, a panel met in special session.

"It heard from Mrs Newbery's oncologist and decided to fund the use of the drugs in this case."

The drug proved to be beneficial and it meant she was able to undergo the operation.

However, although the first part of surgery to her bowel went smoothly, doctors faced problems when they turned to her liver.

Prof Peter Lodge, of St James' Hospital, said in a statement: "The surgery was more complicated than we expected it to be. We found some extra tumours that didn't show up on the scans.

"That's sometimes the way with these tumours, especially after so much chemotherapy.

"We also had some trouble with bleeding from Hayley's liver all the way through."

The mum-of-three, who had recently moved from Greengage Rise, Melbourn, to Duxford, was aware of the risks.

But she was determined to fight for her husband Christian, and children - Megan, four, 21-month-old James, and baby Lucy.

Statistics showed the drug could prolong someone's life by about six months.

Speaking several months ago to BBC Look East, Hayley, said: "To some that might sound a very short time for such an expensive drug, but for me six months extra with my children is very, very precious.