A BRAVE young Greenock woman who has beaten cancer twice in two years has told how trusting her instinct and pushing for further tests saved her life.

Ashleigh Donnachie, 32, was diagnosed with cervical cancer on Hogmanay 2018.

She successfully battled the illness But just a year later was diagnosed with a tumour just in front of her womb.

After gruelling treatment, Ashleigh is now unable to have children of her own.

But she is relieved that she's still here and living a full life with her partner George and puppy Kobie.

Abnormal cells were detected at Ashleigh's routine smear test in 2018 and she was told to go back for a check in six months.

But she felt something wasn't right so she pushed to be seen by a doctor and had a biopsy.

In December 2018, she attended a follow-up appointment about an existing ovarian cyst.

The doctor read her notes aloud and stated she had cancer - information she was not supposed to find out until after a multi-disciplinary team meeting where specialists discussed her case.

Ashleigh, who lives in Braeside, says she knew all along that something was wrong.

She said: "I just felt different.

"I know my own body and didn't take 'no' for an answer.

"Cervical cancer doesn't run in the family and I had no symptoms other than just knowing instinctively that something wasn't right."

After her diagnosis, Ashleigh spoke to her doctor about having a full hysterectomy or a trachelectomy - a procedure which retains the womb but removes the cervix.

As she wanted to do all she could to preserve her chance of having children of her own, she opted to have her cervix removed.

The RBS Mortgage Centre worker went to the Royal Marsden Hospital in London for the procedure.

As Ashleigh's employer, RBS fundraised to help pay for her parents to accompany her.

On the plane home after the procedure, Ashleigh realised something was wrong.

Her mum took her straight to A&E at Glasgow Royal Infirmary where she found her ovarian cyst had wrapped itself around the ovary itself.

She said: "It was the worst pain I've ever experienced.

"They hadn't taken the cyst away in the operation.

"I was so fed up by that point - it felt like just one thing after another."

Ashleigh eventually had to have her right ovary and her fallopian tube removed.

In May 2019, she got the all clear from the cancer but seven months later had horrific pain in her hip and down her leg.

She said: "I was in pain 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

"I had some tests but they just kept saying it was nothing and told me to keep taking co-codamol.

"I had every kind of scan and test going every three months but they didn't scan my hip."

Another three months passed and after eventually getting a hip scan, Ashleigh was told there was an 8cm tumour just in front of her womb which was pressing on her nerves.

Doctors also found that the cancer had spread to Ashleigh's lymph nodes, so they had to remove them.

This time around, Ashleigh needed an intensive six-week course of chemotherapy, radiotherapy and brachytherapy, which involved radiating the inside of the body.

Due to coronavirus restrictions, she had to sit through the treatment sessions on her own.

At the end, she was devastated to learn she would not be able to have children.

Ashleigh added: "I didn't cry at all through the whole process until I was told I couldn't have kids of my own.

"I still feel sad about it but I am just glad I am still here.

"I was upset for the first week but I had to get my positive attitude back on.

"George told me he would rather have me here than anything else and that made me get my fighting spirit back.

"George is just the best, I couldn't have got through all this without him.

"My family and friends have really helped me keep my spirits up."

Last December Ashleigh was told that the tumour had shrunk and that she's going to beat the illness.

She's now going through the menopause and is on HRT patches but she's determined to stick with her positive mindset.

Ashleigh added: "You just have to get on with it.

"I've had no pain at all after the treatment and I'm feeling good."

Ashleigh is now urging young women who have concerns about their body to keep pushing and attend all tests.

She said: "Go for a smear test, it can save your life.

"It's also so important to trust your body and listen to what it's telling you."