A 25-YEAR-OLD woman from Kidderminster who was diagnosed with advanced bowel cancer needs a drug not available on the NHS before she can undergo potentially life-saving surgery.

Former carer Megan Smith received the heartbreaking diagnosis in January, months after she first visited a doctor complaining of symptoms - but was told it was probably irritable bowel syndrome.

Her sister Terri told The Shuttle: "Doctors kept sending us away but then her symptoms started to progress and in October we said enough is enough and they finally did some tests.

"In January, Megan was diagnosed with cancer, but unfortunately by then it was already quite advanced and had spread to her lungs."

Megan underwent treatment but had a severe reaction to the chemotherapy.

"We went back to the oncologist but unfortunately since then it's spread to her liver," said Terri. "Now we're trying another kind of chemotherapy, while at the same time researching different treatments.

"Megan's tumour is too big to operate but there is a drug called Avastin which could shrink it down. It's got an 80 per cent success rate, but it's no longer available on the NHS. It would cost £2,000 every two weeks."

Megan's family have now launched an online fundraising appeal to raise £10,000 towards six months of Avastin treatment, which would run alongside more chemotherapy. 

Terri said: "Megan is really strong - she's really fighting this. It's so hard seeing her so ill. It really affects everybody around her.

"We only set up the fundraising page on Tuesday and we've already raised £9,000. It would pay for six months of treatment, which is the minimum that Megan would need."

Click here to donate.

Terri's 10-year-old son Bailey Wilding is also taking part in a boxing bootcamp at Mikey's Boxing Gym in Whitehouse Road this evening (Tuesday, June 4) at 7pm to raise money for Megan's treatment.

The bootcamp costs £5 to join, with all proceeds going towards the fundraising appeal.