A WOMAN who is battling cancer flies out to Mexico on Monday to receive specialist treatment.

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

Pam, who lives in Spennymoor, County Durham, can-not believe how quickly the money has been raised and has praised landlord Chris Hill and regulars at The Voltager pub, Spennymoor.

She said: "Chris has been my hero, nothing has been too much trouble for him.

"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 thank you, but I would be still here next year."

It is more than a year since Pam was told the cancer in her breast that 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 family, she has found the strength to face it.

She said the hardest part of going to Mexico would be leaving them behind.

The Oasis of Hope Hospital claims to improve the life expectancy of patients by up to 45 years. The therapy, which combines alternative medicine with conventional treatment, is not available in the UK.