A mother left with medical bills worth almost £50,000 after discovering she had a brain tumour abroad has started treatment after being diagnosed with incurable cancer.

Mother-of-two Lisa Robinson became seriously ill in June while she was in Antalya, Turkey, to have dental implants.

The 44-year-old, who is from Consett, had emergency surgery to remove the tumour at Anadolu Hastanesi Hospital.

But when she got home medics told Lisa she had stage 4 cancer, which is incurable but treatable.

Read more: Durham family spent 17 years visiting wrong grave due to blunder

To make matters worse she is also locked in a battle with her insurance company, which is refusing to pay out after she was forced to pay almost £50,000 in medical fees to be treated abroad.

The Northern Echo: Lisa Robinson became seriously ill in TurleyLisa Robinson became seriously ill in Turley

Doctors are using radiotherapy and chemotherapy to prolong the former mental health nurse’s life.

Lisa started her radiotherapy last week and will have sessions five days a week for the next fortnight before starting a course of oral chemotherapy.

She said: “The first time I had it I was absolutely terrified. I thought I was going to have a panic attack.

“They have got the radiogram machine and your head is in this thing to stop you from moving. It was terrifying.

“The staff were so reassuring though and they were talking to me all of the time.

“They are very supportive.”

To get more stories direct to your email basket go here

Lisa takes medication to prevent seizures and reduce the pressure on her brain, as well as codeine and paracetamol for pain relief.

She added: “I think I am in a bit of denial. I have been looking into it and have been looking on Google.

“In myself though I feel okay, a bit weak, but it is the emotional stuff. It takes a bit of getting your head around. It is incurable but treatable.

“Hopefully these therapies will help. It all depends on how aggressive it is.”

The Northern Echo: Lisa is trying to stay positiveLisa is trying to stay positive

Lisa’s family and the local community who have rallied around to raise funds to pay for her treatment in Turkey after AXA Partners refused to cover the cost of medical bills and her flight home to Newcastle.

Read more: Shock as ANOTHER family told they've been visiting wrong grave at Wingate church

Lisa said the company has told her it would not pay out on the grounds that Lisa was aware she had a pre-existing medical condition, which she denies, because she sought medical assistance for severe headaches before travelling.

A Just Giving Page has so far raised more than £25,000 towards its £50,000 goal with generous donations from friends, family and local community.

The Northern Echo: Lisa is left with huge medical bills after her insurance company refused to pay outLisa is left with huge medical bills after her insurance company refused to pay out

Lisa said: “We need to insurance to pay out. It is shocking.

"Everyone at home has been amazing, it has blown me away.

"I cannot thank them enough."

An AXA Partners spokesperson said it was sorry to hear about Ms Robinson’s illness.

The spokesperson said: "Whilst we understand that this is a distressing situation, declaring previous medical history is extremely important when purchasing travel insurance, as not doing so can invalidate your policy.

"The initial question that Ms Robinson was asked at the start of the sales process, is there to determine the best policy cover based on any previous medical history.

"Had Ms Robinson declared her previous medical history, she would have been offered an alternative insurance policy that would have better suited her needs and covered her for medical assistance related to this condition whilst abroad.”

Read next: 

If you want to read more great stories, why not subscribe to your Northern Echo for as little as £1.25 a week. Click here