Ms Clark said she was "honoured" to receive the award

Barbara Clark, 49, from Bridgwater in Somerset, received special recognition for her achievement in forcing a change in government policy over the drug.

Speaking at the ceremony in London's Waldorf Hotel, she said she felt "honoured" to get the award.

"I worked very hard even in my hardest days of chemotherapy," she said.

Tough year

Ms Clark, whose son Ash, 12, is terminally ill, fought with her primary care trust to be able to receive Herceptin.

Her plight led the Department of Health to promise it would fast-track the drug for use in the NHS once the National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) has approved it.

"It is almost a year to the day that I was diagnosed with cancer and it has been a very tough year," she said.

"I feel fine on Herceptin and it has meant that my hair is growing back."

Other winners included TV presenter Lorraine Kelly who was awarded Celebrity Mum of the Year.