A GRANDMOTHER is hoping to share her story across town in order to spread awareness for pancreatic cancer.

Christine Leonard, from Darlington, has asked the council to change the colour of the town's clock tower in solidarity with Pancreatic Cancer Awareness Month.

On November 16 the faces of the tower will turn purple and Mrs Leonard hopes this will help to spread the message.

Last year, the 58-year-old grandmother suffered a "rough ride" after being diagnosed pancreatic cancer.

She went to her GP in August 2017 after having pains in her abdomen, losing her appetite and dealing with weight loss.

After a series of blood tests, which came out normal, Mrs Leonard was given medication but after ten days her symptoms had not improved.

She said: "The pain had gone round into my back and started turning yellow with jaundice. My GP ran some more blood tests and the next day I had a call where I was told I had to go Darlington Memorial Hospital. They did more tests and thought it was gallstones blocking my bile duct.

"They decided I needed a stent put in the bile duct and I was sent to Durham hospital. After the procedure I was told if I hadn’t had it done I wouldn’t be here now."

Mrs Leonard was then referred to The Freeman Hospital in Newcastle and it was there that she was diagnosed with the early stages of pancreatic cancer.

She was offered a procedure called 'The Whipple' - a mammoth operation to remove a tumour blocking the bile duct, part of the pancreas, part of the small intestine, the gallbladder, part of the stomach and 27 lymph nodes.

She was admitted to the hospital on December 18 and was operated on for almost nine hours. On Boxing Day, Mrs Leonard was allowed to go home.

She added: “The only thing that kept me going at that time was that we had a family holiday booked to Florida with my grandchildren and that my daughter is getting married next year.

"I had a CT scan this September and was finally given the all-clear. There’s just that many people who don’t know what the symptoms are that I thought ‘what can I do to spread awareness?’

"I approached Darlington Borough Council to see if they would be willing to light up a building to raise awareness. They have agreed to light up the town clock certainly for the 16th and maybe a few days either side.

"My story is to raise awareness of this dreadful cancer and let people know of the symptoms to look out for."

Pancreatic Cancer Awareness Month spans across the whole of November.