Cancer mum shuns treatment to enjoy rest of her life with her son

A CANCER-stricken mum has taken the agonising decision to stop chemotherapy to spend “happy” time with her eight-year-old son Evan.

Melissa with Evan and husband CarlSWNS

Melissa with Evan and husband Carl

Melissa Lacey says “quality of life is better than quantity” after months battling a rare cancer.

“This isn’t a decision I’ve made overnight, it’s been tough,” she said.

“I may only live a few months but at least I will be able to make happy memories with Evan.”

Melissa, 33, from Sunderland, has been fighting appendix cancer which is so rare it affects just one in three million people.

Surgery to remove it was so extensive her husband Carl, 38, was told to expect the worst.

Melissa said she had chemotherapy but stopped after a reaction.

“I’ll take two years of quality time over five years lying in hospital which I have been every weekend since having chemotherapy.

“It makes my boy unhappy. All I want to do is make him happy.”

Friends have since raised £2,000 to send the family on a dream trip to Disney World in Florida.

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