A BARRHEAD mother fighting four forms of cancer is continuing her campaign to transform the NHS' decision-making process.

Courageous Lesley Graham, 39, was invited to meet with a healthcare consultant who is leading an independent review into the way drugs are assessed for use on the NHS.

The mum-of-two grasped the chance to sit down with former NHS Fife medical director Dr Brian Montgomery at St Andrew's House in Edinburgh on August 1.

There Lesley described the suffering she was forced to endure in order to be granted access to a potentially life-saving drug called Kadcyla by health board chiefs after she was told she had just months left to live earlier this year.

Lesley, who stays in the town's John Smith Gate, said: "I think it went quite well. He's been a GP and his job now is to review the process and to review the access that people have to these drugs that are not run-of-the-mill or readily available.

"He's been given the task of seeing if the system is working properly. I thought meeting him was very useful, he was a really nice man but with all these people, I don't know if they live a normal life like you or I.

"People like us perhaps sometimes have a better view of how things work and I don't know if they have that view. At the end of the meeting he said he thought I was strong and had a really good spirit about me."

Lesley was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2015 and subsequently chose to have her breast removed.

However, the cancer soon returned and doctors had to break the devastating news that it was terminal and it had also spread to her brain, liver and ribs.

Doctors estimated she would have only four to six months to spend with her husband Colin, 47, and daughters Charlotte, 14, and 11-year-old Rebekah.

But the former childminder was undeterred and fought against the fate handed to her with every fibre of her being.

Upon learning that the one drug which could extend her life by months – if not years – was not readily available to Scottish patients, Lesley sent a heartfelt plea to the Scottish Health Secretary Shona Robison.

Backed by her family, friends and oncologist, as well as an ever-growing online support network, Lesley successfully campaigned for the right to be granted access to three rounds of the £15,000-per-round wonder drug.

Lesley has now received the three bouts of treatment and is awaiting the results of a scan to see if the drug has worked.

Having previously met with Ms Robison at Holyrood last month, Lesley was then asked if she would be willing to speak with Dr Montgomery.

Given that his responsibility is to analyse whether or not recent changes made to the Scottish Medicines Consortium process have improved patient access to medicines for rare or end-of-life conditions, Dr Montgomery was eager to hear Lesley's side of the story.

"He said it has given him ideas and things to think about," she said.

"From that I took it as being a really positive thing because maybe a change can happen and our NHS can be fit for its purpose to help its citizens manage an illness.

"If there's a drug that can control it, I should be able to live my life with an illness. Somebody somewhere has got their priorities far wrong.

"Everybody should get help. I will never stand by somebody saying something is too expensive to help someone.

"It's time the NHS gave themselves a shake."

Friends of Lesley's have set up a fundraising page to help her and her family make the most of whatever time they may have left together.

The GoFundMe account has raised close to £30,000 in just three months and can be accessed by visiting www.gofundme.com/makingmemories38