A DEFIANT Barrhead mum-of-two battling four forms of cancer is "utterly ecstatic" she'll now be able to see her youngest daughter start high school thanks to treatment she vigorously fought to receive. 

Lesley Graham's most recent scan showed the cancer in her brain, liver and ribs had shrunk courtesy of NHS-funded treatment.

The results mean the 39-year-old will now live to see her youngest daughter Rebekah, 12, start high school – a milestone event Lesley feared she would never reach.

"It's the best news I could've hoped for," she said.

"I'm just utterly ecstatic and delighted. Because it's only been 12 weeks worth of treatment, I think that's great.

"I genuinely thought I wouldn't get to see Rebekah start at Barrhead High. As much as I had to be upbeat, my biggest fear was I wouldn't get to see her starting high school and I will now.

"The tumour in the liver has shrunk by a third, and the tumour in the brain has halved. The bone cancer has started to calcify which means it's stopped growing and the bone is trying to heal itself."

After being diagnosed with breast cancer in 2015, Lesley thought she had beaten the disease when she had her breast removed.

But, in a cruel twist of fate, routine blood tests at the start of the year showed the cancer had returned to her brain, liver and ribs and was terminal.

Doctors predicted the former childminder would have just four to six months left to spend with her husband Colin, 47, and daughters Rebekah and 14-year-old Charlotte.

To add to the heartache, she was told the one drug which could extend her life by months, if not years, was not available in Scotland.

However, with the full support of her family, friends and the community, Lesley launched a spirited campaign in the hope of being granted access to the £15,000-per-round Kadcyla drug.

Despite the NHS initially rejecting her request – which included an impassioned plea to Scottish Health Secretary Shona Robison – Lesley refused to give in.

Her firm stance has now been vindicated as the three rounds of treatment health board chiefs eventually agreed to cover the cost of will allow Lesley to live for longer and watch her girls grow up.

The NHS is also paying for a further three bouts of treatment for Lesley who admitted she had no idea what to think as she waited to find out if the treatment had worked.

She said: "I was a nervous wreck to be perfectly honest with you. My nerves were shattered; I couldn't have called it.

"One minute I was convincing myself everything was going to be great and the next I was convincing myself I was going to get bad news. I was crying through relief and happiness.

"Everybody's over the moon. When someone's got cancer it doesn't just affect that person. It ripples out to your friends, family and neighbours.

"The oncologist was really happy, they've got a tough job on their hands. It's a feather in their cap because this just proves they should never have denied me the treatment in the first place."

Lesley is now hopeful her story will inspire others faced with a similar set of circumstances to stand up and refuse to settle for second best.

She said: "It would've been so easy just to accept what they said and try to live a comfortable four to six months but that just wasn't for me and I knew I had to do something about it. I've had to stick my head above the trench and draw attention to myself.

"It was an excuse not to spend money in my eyes. It's something to be championed for myself and for the oncologist team and it's something we all need to call into question – what if I had listened to what they said? I wouldn't be here.

"I would tell people to never sit back without questioning it. Right away when they told me, I knew I was going to fight and do everything I could to get what I needed."

She added: "I can't thank everybody in the community enough for the generosity and kindness and support people have given me and the kids and Colin – it's a great wee place to live.

"I just can't bear to think if I hadn't done everything I did what position I would've been in. I sincerely hope that this goes some way to helping people get access to life-saving drugs."

Friends of Lesley's have created a fundraising page to enable her and her family to make the most of the time they have left together.

The GoFundMe account has raised almost £30,000 in just three months and is accessible by visiting gofundme.com/makingmemories38