A WOMAN who is battling breast cancer flew off to Mexico on Monday to receive specialist treatment.

Friends and family of Pam Aston have been campaigning since June this year to raise £20,000 to send her for Issels treatment at the Oasis of Hope Hospital in Tijuana, Mexico.

Pam, who lives in Spennymoor, said she cannot believe the support she has received since her Flight for Life Campaign was launched.

She said: "I cannot believe we have got this far so soon. The support I have had has been tremendous.''

She praised landlord Chris Hill and regulars at The Voltager pub in Spennymoor. She added: "Chris has been my hero, nothing has been too much trouble for him, he has really put himself out.

"I cannot find the words to say how grateful I am. I would like to go to each individual person who has made a contribution to say thankyou, but I would be still here next year.''

It is over a year since Pam was told the breast cancer she thought she had defeated had spread to her liver. But with the help of daughter Michelle, 26, grandaughter Rochelle, three, and the rest of her close-knit family she has found the strength to face it head on.

The hardest part of going to Mexico will be leaving them behind. Pam said: "I have never been away from Michelle, my parents or the rest of my family for more than a week and it is going to be hard but this is something I have to do.''

The Oasis of Hope Hospital claims to improve the life expectancy of patients by up to 45 years. Issels therapy combines alternative medicine with conventional treatment.