A mother-of-two who initially attributed her illness and loss of appetite to stress was then given a devastating diagnosis. Annie De'Ath from Tunbridge Wells is now seeking specialist treatment in Portugal after being told she had pancreatic cancer.

The 58-year-old first noticed symptoms in January, around the time she was selling her house. She recalled: "I thought it might be stress, and then my daughter pushed me to go to the doctor.

"I had an appointment mid-February with the GP, and he advised I had an ultrasound, and then they saw this lump in my pancreas. It's all devastating. I thought I was going to die the next day. I'm otherwise very healthy - I've never even had a day off sick in my life from work. I don't even get colds or anything."

Following a series of scans and endoscopies in March, she started chemotherapy the next month. "I had a port-a-cath put in my chest to administer the chemo, and then I started my treatment through the wound, which was horrendous.

"For six months, every other week, you have to go and sit in a hospital for a day. But, with this type of cancer, surgery is really the only chance of any sort of cure, otherwise, they just keep it at bay, " said Annie.

Given the intricate nature of her tumour, medics in the UK have ruled out surgery as an option. However, following a consultation with Professor Markus Buchler at the Botton-Champalimaud Pancreatic Cancer Centre in Lisbon, she's finally been presented with a lifeline that could offer her a genuine shot at beating this disease.

During a video consultation last month, the globally renowned pancreatic specialist confirmed his belief that an operation is possible. But Annie must undergo immediate chemotherapy once more to get the cancer back under control.

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She explained: "We just need to get the tumour markers down to a certain level and then he'll operate. It's not wise to operate in a sort of growing tumour situation, so basically, when they hit a certain level, I've got to get on a plane straight away."

The complete expense of the treatment is "more than she can imagine", but her workmates at Sackville School in Hildenborough have launched a fundraising campaign, where Annie has served as a teaching assistant for more than 15 years.

They've set a goal of £25,000 to cover the essential chemotherapy, the Lisbon operation and all related travel and post-operative care costs. Currently, £17,500 has been collected.

Annie remarked: "I just can't not do it. I'm trying to be positive. I'm walking a lot, I'm trying to keep moving and just trying to do my best, which is all you can really do, isn't it? In any situation in life. In a stark warning to others after her unexpected diagnosis, she urged: "Don't ignore things. I love eating, I'm slim and active, but I love food and the loss of appetite and nausea was a bit odd for me.

""I just thought, 'Oh what's going on?

', and you can have loads more symptoms than that. But obviously it's all still going on in my body so just don't ignore anything that's unusual for your own body. Go and get it checked out."

You can donate at https://www.gofundme.com/f/annie-needs-immediate-chemo-and-surgery-time-is-critical.