- Lisa Russell spent her savings on her wedding and holidays to Bulgaria, Turkey and Lanzarote
- Mother was determined to make memories for her children, so they would not forget her
- Three years after diagnosis, doctors told her tumour had shrunk
By Anna Edwards AND KELLY STRANGE
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Terminally ill with lung cancer, Lisa Russell vowed to give her two daughters the best year of their lives.
The 37-year-old dinner lady and her partner Anthony got married and blew their savings on three luxury family holidays.
Lisa even planned her own funeral and wrote goodbye letters for her daughters to open after she died.
Lisa was told she had terminal lung cancer and was given only 18 months to live. Pictured with husband Anthony, daughters Chloe and Georgia (left) she spent her savings on holidays to make memories for the family
Lisa, pictured having her head shaved off after beginning treatment, was told that her tumour had shrunk
But three years after the diagnosis, Lisa's death sentence was lifted â€" as her cancer unexpectedly disappeared.
The mother, who had already undergone a hysterectomy to beat cervical cancer, said: 'I’d been saying goodbye and preparing for the end. It was heartbreaking to tell my daughters Mummy was going to die.
'I was very young when I lost my mother. The thought of them growing up without me was devastating.
'Telling them I wasn't going anywhere was the best moment of my life.'
When Lisa, from Oldham, got a chesty cough she put it down to smoking ten cigarettes a day.
Only when it failed to shift in 2009 did she visit her GP.
She was diagnosed with small cell lung cancer (SCLC) â€" unrelated to her earlier illness and rare in a woman her age.
It's 94 per cent death rate is one of cancer's highest.
Lisa was told her cancer was inoperable â€" but that chemotherapy could give her another 18 months with her family.
Lisa's biggest fear was that her girls, Chloe and Georgia â€" then 13 and eight â€" would not remember her.
The best gift ever: Lisa was thrilled to tell her daughters that the cancer tumour had shrunk and doctors could not longer find it
Lisa was determined to make sure her daughters remembered her, after she grew up without a mother and father as they passed away when she was young
Lisa and Anthony with their daughters on their wedding day, which they organised in six weeks after learning of the dinner lady's condition
She says: 'I hated the thought of my kids having their childhood without a mother, like I had.
'I was only five when she took her own life after battling depression. I only had one photo of my mum.
'Then, when I was 13, my dad died of a heart attack. I was raised by my wonderful older siblings.
'They gave me a great childhood but I still missed having a mum. I was distraught to think my children would forget me.
'I didn’t want history to repeat itself so I vowed to create as many wonderful memories for my daughters as possible.'
Knowing she would lose her hair during treatment, Lisa organised a sponsored head shave on her 34th birthday, raising £4,000 for The Christie Hospital in Manchester, where she was being treated.
She vowed to spend her money on creating happy memories for her daughters with her partner Anthony, spending £2,000 on a holiday to Lanzarote, £3,000 on a break in Bulgaria and £6,000 on a luxurious trip to Turkey.
Lisa, seen here in Turkey with her daughter, says she has learned the importance of living life to the full after enduring cancer twice
They married - with their daughters watching their father propose - and spent £4,000 on their ceremony.
In January 2010, Lisa and Anthony, from Oldham, flew to Lanzarote on a belated honeymoon â€" again taking the girls with them.
'We splashed out on a luxury villa using our wedding present money and savings.
'It was impossible to forget about the cancer but seeing the girls play in the sea and play on the beach was fantastic.
'Again, I knew they were memories they would never forget and I wanted to create more.'
Todl by a consultant that there was no hope for a recovery, Lisa booked another holiday to Bulgaria in May 2010, costing £4,000.
Lisa took her family to Turkey to stay at a five star resort, spending £6,000 on the luxury holiday. She says that she does not mind spending so much because the family came away with happy memories
Lisa, pictured with her husband, moments before having her hair shaved off. The dinner lady says she just wanted to spend time with her family before she died
With Anthony working as an electrician and Lisa unable to work, money was tight.
But the couple vowed to blow what little they had left making memories for the girls.
Lisa says: 'You don’t care about money when you are dying, just your family spending time together.
'I didn't want their memories of me to be in hospital. I wanted them to be happy, carefree memories.'
They spent more money on meals with friends and days out with the girls â€" before splashing out another £6,000 on a five-star, all-inclusive break in Turkey in September, 2010.
Lisa says: 'It was the trip of a lifetime. I knew they'd never forget it.'
By the time she returned home, Lisa had already lived past the 18-month prognosis.
She continued to have check-ups every three months without any change in the outlook.
Lisa wrote goodbye letters to her daughters and husband, telling them how much she loved them and assuring them she would always watch over them.
She tucked them away with instructions to be opened after her death. Lisa says: 'I wanted them to know I would always be with them, regardless.'
But her words were to come true in a way she could never have imagined.
The mother was diagnosed with small cell lung cancer after beating cervical cancer, a condition that is rare in a woman her age
Told by a consultant that there was no hope for a recovery, Lisa booked holidays and wrote goodbye letters to her children and husband
Lisa, pictured here with Georgia, in London, waa raised by her older siblings after her parents died when she was a child
In April last year â€" three years after her original diagnosis â€" she went for a routine biopsy â€" and was given the astonishing news that her tumour had shrunk so much the doctors couldn’t find it.
'My mouth fell wide open,' she recalls.
'I couldn’t believe it. The doctors couldn’t either. My death sentence had been lifted.
'Nobody could predict this would happen. Everyone at The Christie Hospital was amazing. I can’t thank them enough.
HOW TO SPOT SMALL CELL LUNG CANCER
Small cell lung cancer (SCLC) is a fast-growing type of lung cancer and spreads much more quickly than non-small cell lung cancer.
About 15 per cent of all lung cancer cases are SCLC, according to the U.S. National Library of Medicine.
It is slightly more common in men than women.
Symptoms include bloody phlegm, chest pain, a cough, loss of appetite, shortness of breath, weight loss and wheezing.
'I can’t believe how lucky I am. I was just laughing and said to my husband, ‘Thank goodness we still have a few quid left, because I’m not dying’.
'The funny thing is, I never really felt ill apart from when I was having treatment. It was the chemotherapy that made me feel sick and tired.'
Later, she revealed the good news to her daughters.
She says: 'They asked for the letters I wrote when I was dying but I said no. It was too painful.
'My youngest said if I wasn’t dying, they didn't need an "I'm sorry I died" card any more.
'I burst out laughing. Typical of kids to put things so bluntly. I’m still laughing because I feel so lucky. Only six per cent of SCLC patients survive.
'When my daughters were born, I promised them I would always be there â€" and I intend to keep that promise. I’ve beaten cancer twice now.
'Anthony was made redundant recently so we could have done with the money now. But I don’t regret what we did.
'Being told I was dying taught me how short life can be â€" it needs to be lived.'
A spokesperson for the Christie Hospital said: 'Lisa has done incredibly well. Everybody here at Christie's is delighted for her.
'There is of course always a risk that the cancer could come back so we are keeping a very close eye on her.'
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