The 49-year-old mother-of-two from Bridgwater, Somerset, who was willing to sell her home to pay privately for Herceptin, is now raising money to help other women with cancer. She spoke to BBC Breakfast's Altered Lives series.

I was having a shower one day and washing under my arm when I felt a tiny lump - probably only a quarter of an inch - really tiny, but really hard under the skin.

I went along to my GP and he fast-tracked me to a hospital. I didn't know it was an aggressive form of cancer at the time but I went to the car and just sobbed.

Two weeks later I went for my 'bad news consultation' and I was told it was the most aggressive form of breast cancer.

It was HER2 positive and even with chemotherapy and radio therapy I still only had a 14% chance of being cancer free in the next year.

It was a terrible shock... I just came home and waited to die.

Sole carer

I told my oldest son first because he was 18 at the time... He was very brave but I saw him grow up overnight. It was a very hard time.

Three weeks into chemotherapy, I lost my hair in a couple of days - what a shock. I think it was worse than having the cancer. You almost don't feel like a woman or even a man. You don't feel like a human being.

They were actually very kind and they did give it to me on exceptional needs

I found the results of the Roche trial of Herceptin and realised straight away that it was my sort of tumour and it would make a real impact on my disease.

But it all went wrong when I went to the consultant and asked for it.

He said there was absolutely no way I would be getting it through the National Health Service.

I said: 'I'm the sole carer of my terminally ill son, please help me'.

He just said: 'Well, what can I do?'

I said: 'I'm passionate about staying alive' and he said: 'Well, so is everyone'.

Exceptional need

I was aware that there was possibly a case for me to bring a case under the Human Rights Act. Apparently, I have a fundamental right to human life under that act.

So I went to see a human rights solicitor and he said: 'You know, you're right. I think you have got a case'.

I contacted the primary care trust to let them know we were going to undertake legal proceedings.

They held an exceptional needs panel. I went along. I spoke to them. I had 10 minutes to put my case to them... I just burst into tears. There's just so much emotion and such a short period of time to try and save your life.

But they were actually very kind and they did give it to me on (the grounds of) exceptional needs.

Odds-on

When I won the case for Herceptin, and I was the first person in the country to get it, that was great.

It's not good enough that a whole generation of woman have to die before this drug is administered

But then I thought: 'What about all those other woman that don't perhaps have a house to sell or don't have exceptional need?'

It's not good enough that a whole generation of woman have to die before this drug is administered and so I started fighting for them too.

It gives me an odds-on chance of survival and 66% sounds a lot better than 14%.

I approach the new year with real hope but yes, I know it could come back.