Shocking footage shows brainless driver stopping on motorway while young boy has a wee

SWNS_MOTORWAY_WEE_003.jpg Image by: Video Contributor 8

Police are hunting a brainless BMW driver who was caught on dashcam stopping on a busy motorway – to let his child out for a WEE.

The motorist parked with his hazard lights flashing on the southbound carriageway of the M1 just yards away from an exit for a services.

Dashcam shows a little boy in a white shirt and grey trousers crouching down to relief himself before getting back into the silver car.

The shocked driver captured the motorist’s insane actions last Friday (29/3) at 5pm during busy rush-hour traffic near Northampton.

The driver, who did not want to be named but posted the footage online, said: "I was heading home from work at around 5pm on the M1.

"I was in lane one which is the turn off for junction 16.

"There was a lorry in front of me but then it moved into the second lane.

"I could see that there was a car in front but the sun was low so I couldn't see his hazard lights which were on.

"I had to stop in a live lane of the motorway behind this mindless idiot.

"I saw a young a lad, about six or seven crouching down and having a wee on the carriageway.

"It was crazy, I've never seen anything like that before.

"I was pressing my horn to tell him to get out of the way.

"What I saw was beyond belief and it could have easily resulted in a serious injury or
even death.

"I was afraid the cars behind me wouldn't be able to stop in time.

"I was fearful of someone going into the back of my car, which would have sent me into his.

"Maybe the driver thought it was a hard shoulder but it's clear from the signs above it wasn't and there were loads of cars driving along it.

"After the kid was done he just got back into the car and they drove off.

"I pulled up next to him and told him off but all I got in return was two fingers, which was charming.

"He didn't even recognize that he had done wrong.

"I was there for less than a minute but that's all it takes for to have been an accident.

"I just want to put this out there so it shows people just how dangerous it.

"We were literally 30 seconds from the next exit, which is what makes this all more ridiculous.

"There was no excuse for him to stop there. can be to stop on the motorway without good reason."

Northamptonshire Police are investigating and have appealed for the BMW driver to come forward.
Video by: Video Contributor 8


Barbie loving woman colours all her belongings PINK – including her house, car and caravan

Video by: Ashley Moran SWNS_PINK_HOUSE_04_qkno5Se.jpg Image by: Adam Hughes SWNS

Wacky Sally Owen has brightened up her life by colouring all her possessions - including her house, car and even pots and pans - bright PINK.

The 48-year-old's modest village home is now a tourist hotspot after having the garish makeover.

She loves the colour so much, every one of her belongings is pink, including her car, caravan, hair, and even her cups and saucers.

Her obsession even extends to her meals, with her favourite food being prawn cocktail washed down with rose wine.

The mum-of-one, nicknamed "Pinky", is a well known figure in her home village of Linton, Derbys.

Her partner, bus driver Jason Dodds, 51, has embraced her love of everything pink and even gave her a brightly coloured Mazda MX5 at Christmas.

Sally, who runs a pet auction, said: "You've got to put a bit of colour in your life and mine is just pink.

"I always wear pink. Everything's pink.

"It's just my favourite colour.

"I've got a vintage caravan that's pink, it's all pink inside.

"There's nothing wrong with it.
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"We had been living in our house for five years when one day I thought it needed a change to brighten it up.

“All the houses around here are a bit samey and I was determined that ours would stand out.

“I bought a dark shade of pink masonry paint from B&Q and slapped it on the walls.

“It came out much brighter and colourful than I’d even hoped for. It’s a good job the neighbours are good friends.

"I just love the colour, I have always liked it. I thought why not? My partner doesn't mind.

"Jason did get a bit of stick at work at first but they are used to it now. He wears pink as well sometimes.

"I am having some hanging baskets made and I have specified that they need to be big and pink.

"It does get a lot of smiles.

"The house brightens the area up a bit and I don't think there is a problem.

"It does get a lot of reaction, especially from children, and people park across the road so they can have their photo take with it – I never expected my obsession to turn my house into a tourist spot.

"They used to knock to ask first but I don't mind.

"If it makes them happy then I am happy with that.

"The front room is pink. I have unicorn pink kitchen and a pink garden, bedroom and caravan.”

Jason said: “I think it’s great. I don’t mind living in a pink Barbie universe. If it makes Sally happy then I’m happy.

“I sometimes get odd looks when I drive her car into town but I think it’s funny.”
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Terrified family call in pest controllers after their house is taken over by a swarm of 22,000 BEES 🐝

Video by: David Bird SWNS_COVENTRY_BEES_012.jpg Image by: David Bird

Amazing footage shows a pest controller using a HOOVER to remove a huge colony of 22,000 bees which plagued a family's home for ten years.

The swarming insects had built a hive behind the plaster above the dormer window of a loft conversion.

The family spent years trying to remove the bees from their three-storey home in the Eastern Green area of Coventry but to no avail.

Bee experts told them the hive was too delicate to remove safely and numerous pest controllers simply refused the job because it was too dangerous.

In desperation, the family boarded up the room and left the attic to the bees until one pest controller came up with an innovative way of removing them safely – using a vacuum cleaner.
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David Bird, who owns Delta Pest Control in Coventry, spent several hours hoovering up the bees before transferring them to a sealed container.

They were then transported to an apiary where they will be used to produce honey.

Mr Bird said: “The homeowners have had an outstanding problem with a number of years.

“They were told by a number of pest controllers that it was impossible to remove.

“We opened it up to remove these bees.

“It's an exceptionally large colony for this time of year. We think there are around 22,000.

“We found somewhere nice, warm and safe for them.

“Bees make their way into little voids in people's homes due to the mild weather.

“A Queen bee would have swarmed there with a few other bees.

“The swarm would have originally been the size of a basketball.

“They stay pretty well enclosed in one place.

“This was a dormer window on a third floor bedroom, a spare room.

“The homeowners weren't in any danger.
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“We had to take away the plaster to gain access to them.

“The temperament of these bees is quite calm and relaxed.

“Bees keep themselves to themselves – they don't go on attack mode easily.

“We used a normal vacuum and then transfer them to a bee transport box.

“They are jam packed in there – it's about 40cm by 20cm by 2cm.

“We will take them to an apiary in the north of England. We are still still talking to the bee keeper so can't say which one yet.

“Once the beekeeper has found they are comfortable, he will put them to work in a good hive.

“The beekeeper will get honey out of it.

“They haven't got a very good chance of surviving if they are in the wild.

“You can't just put them in the woods and hope for the best.”


Brave six-year-old saves baby brother’s life by choosing to become his bone marrow donor

SWNS_SISTER_MARROW_05.jpg Image by: Kelsey Stynes

A six-year-old girl and her baby brother are closer than ever after she bravely saved his life -- by becoming his bone marrow donor.

Caleb Ashby needed an urgent bone marrow transplant after a shortage of infection-fighting blood cells left him in danger of being killed by a common cold.

Big sister Sophia was an 100% match and bravely demanded her worried parents to let her be a donor by declaring: "If I give Caleb my bones he will live”.

The schoolgirl had her bone marrow extracted from her hip, before it was donated to poorly Caleb, just a few beds away.

Parents Kelsey Stynes, 28, and Lee Ashby, 31, had to wait for two weeks to find out Caleb’s body had 100% accepted his sister’s bone marrow.

Four weeks on, the four-month-old is set to make a full recovery, but protective Sophia - who has a stronger bond than ever with her little brother - has refused to leave his side.

She's recovered from her op, but is attending the hospital school after being given special permission to keep a close eye on him until he goes home in six to eight weeks.

Beautician Kelsey, from Barwell, Leicestershire, said: "It makes me so emotional just thinking about it.

"I am completely overwhelmed by it all. She just amazes me. She has been fantastic for the whole way through this.

“She hasn’t stopped smiling and she knows she has done a good thing but I’m not sure if she knows how amazing she is.

“If she didn’t want to go ahead with it then we wouldn’t have Caleb here with us now.

“She saved Caleb’s life. She has done an amazing job and without her we wouldn’t have reached where we are now.”

Mum-of-four Kelsey, who has two other sons, Zachary, one, and Tyler, eight, found out Caleb was going to be born with a heart defect when she was 22 weeks pregnant.

He had truncus arteriosus - only one large blood vessel leading from his heart instead of two - and a hole in his heart, when he was born in December last year.
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At just two-weeks-old Caleb underwent a major eight-hour operation, in January, to insert a plastic stent into his heart to do the job of the blood vessel he was born without.

Caleb spent five days in intensive care and doctors soon realised the newborn’s wound was not healing.

Further tests revealed he had “no white bloods at all” meaning he was at serious risk of infection.

Doctors warned he could be killed by a common cold and his body was too weak to properly recover from the heart surgery.

They discovered he had bone marrow failure - when the soft centre of the bones fails to produce enough healthy blood cells to keep up with the body’s needs.

Kelsey says doctors said if they had known about Caleb’s blood condition, they wouldn't have performed the heart surgery.

The family were told the only option to save his life was a bone marrow transplant, to give him a new immune system.

Kelsey said: “It was very touch and go at that point. We thought we had been through the worst after his operation.

“That was a very scary time for us. We had to trust the surgeons with our baby.

“I was so relieved it all went to plan. I just fell to the ground.”

Kelsey, Lee, Sophia and Zachery were tested as potential matches, on February 18.

Zachery was ruled out but doctors knew even before the results came back that, as Caleb's parents, Kelsey and Lee's bone marrow would at least be a 50% match.

Because of the urgency and severity of Caleb’s condition, doctors had prepared a blood transfusion using Lee’s partial match before the results came back on February 27.
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A partial match transfusion would have a lesser chance of success and would require Lee's bloods to be manipulated in a lab prior to the op.

The major risk would be that the transfusion would fail and Caleb's body would reject his dad's bone marrow - placing his life on the line once again.

But on the same day Lee was preparing to undergo the transfusion, tests revealed Sophia was an 100% match - handing her baby brother a vital lifeline.

Kelsey said: “I had mixed emotions. Sophia was so willing but I didn’t want to put Sophia through it if she didn’t want to.

“But she said 'I want to help'. She said ‘if I give Caleb my bone he will live’."

Doctors had already spoken to Sophia about what the test results could mean for her if her bone marrow ended up being a full match.

Kelsey says her daughter "smiled and was happy" when the family found out her bone marrow was a 100% match.

Sophia was put through a series of psychological assessments before being cleared to be her brother’s donor.

She had the option to opt out - but courageously stuck to her word and went ahead with the blood marrow donation on March 5.

During her procedure, Sophia was put under general anaesthetic before stem cells were removed from the bone marrow in her hip bone, ready to transfuse into her baby brother.

Then, having endured a week of chemotherapy to prepare his blood for a transfusion, Caleb underwent his second life saving operation on March 6.

If he didn't have the life-saving op - Kelsey says her baby "probably wouldn't be here today".

She says Caleb couldn't have sustained life with bone marrow failure and he would have been given end-of-life care if all other options had failed.

Thankfully the operation was successful, but Kelsey and Lee faced an anxious two week wait to find out if Caleb’s body had fully accepted his sister’s bone marrow donation.

During that period Caleb was kept under constant supervision in an isolation unit where he could only see his mum and doctors.

To keep the area sterile, Kelsey would have to change her shoes and swap her outside clothes for inside clothes to cut the risk of carrying germs from the outdoors inside.

But to Kelsey’s overwhelming relief, Caleb was given the all clear and doctors described the transfusion and a “textbook” procedure.

Kelsey said: “They were very happy with how it went. That two week wait was really difficult. We became obsessed with the numbers.

“I doubted it every second of every day. We just wanted to know if it had worked or not.

“He’s recovering well and it’s all about the numbers now. We can’t leave hospital until his blood is stable.

“He will have to be kept a very close eye on for the rest of his life and will be in and out of hospital for check ups for the next year.”

Caleb and Kelsey are still in hospital and expect to be there for another eight weeks.

Caleb is yet to set foot in the family home and is still being monitored around the clock in hospital.

Meanwhile his mum and sister are living at the nearby Ronald McDonald House, which provides a free ‘home away from home’ accommodation.

Sophia has also opted to stay by her brother’s side and is attending the hospital school while he fully recovers.

She recovered from her 50 minute procedure within 24 hours but was kept away from her brother during her recovery.

Kelsey says it was "hell" having two poorly children and says it was tough for her to put Sophia through her operation in order to save Caleb.

She said: "It was such a hard thing to do, as a mum. I spent all day worrying about them both.

"I didn't know what to do with myself and ended up just waiting by the recovery bay for Sophia to come out."

The family hope to be reunited at home within two months, and Kelsey says she is dreaming of booking a big family holiday to celebrate Caleb’s miraculous journey.

Kelsey said: "They adore each other. Sophia is amazing with him and they are the best of friends.

"They are closer than ever now. Sophia knows she has done an amazing thing."


Shocking footage shows brainless driver going the wrong way on the M1

Video by: Mark Thomas SWNS_MOTORWAY_MADNESS_05.jpg Image by: Mark Thomas

Shocking footage shows a brainless driver risking lives by going the wrong way on the M1 – before trying to correct his error by reversing up the fast lane.

The elderly motorist turned right and crossed three lanes of the busy motorway before driving towards oncoming traffic.

When the male driver realised his mistake he tried to reverse back along the fast lane before pulling forward again.

The driver eventually manages to reverse back up the road before driving the wrong way down the sliproad.

The video shows the hapless motorist join the southbound carriageway of the M1 at Milton Keynes, Bucks., at 1pm on Monday (1/4).

Lorry driver Mark Thomas, 54, captured the terrifying moment on his dashcam as he drove from Tilbury Docks in Essex.

The divorced dad-of-one, of Shrewsbury, Shrops., said: “I was really shaken up by it, he could have killed someone, I couldn’t believe it.

“I was driving in the middle lane and noticed in the distance was not quite right.

“I was doing around 60mph when I saw the car coming up on the fast lane, and slowed down to 40mph in an instant.

“I just slowed right down and put on the hazard warning lights.

“I could see a young bloke in the white van next to me brake hard and he was really straining on the seatbelt.

“The man in the silver car looked like he was 65 to 70 and was very confused.

“He might not have understood the signs. I wondered if he might be a foreigner.

“When he was reversing on the fast lane I was shouting out the window at him to turn around, in fact I went hoarse from shouting.

"He tried reversing back down the carriageway a couple of times until he weaved his way back down the fast lane and goes the wrong way down the slip road.

"It was lucky it was a clear day because if it had been foggy that would have been it. The road was busy with cars and lorries like mine and he could have caused carnange.

“I have been a trucker for 32 years and this is the first time I’ve seen anything like this.

“I sent the dashcam to the police and they say someone has already reported it, I don’t know what’s happened to the driver."
SWNS_MOTORWAY_MADNESS_07.jpgImage by: Mark ThomasSWNS_MOTORWAY_MADNESS_13.jpgImage by: Steve Chatterley


RSPB hit out at local council for netting up a cliff stopping birds from nesting

Video by: Margaret Wilcox SWNS_SANDMARTIN_NESTING_02.jpg Image by: Margaret Wilcox

Bird lovers hit out at a council putting up netting on a cliff side preventing sand martins from nesting.

The RSPB say that the netting is risking the lives of the birds as they may get stuck in it.

The RSPB shared a video on Twitter and said the effect of the material, which resembles a football net, was "heart breaking" and said that the council "have not taken out (and their contractor's) original advice."

The netting was put up on the Bacton cliff side, Norfolk, to deter wildlife from nesting during a project to stop erosion.

North Norfolk District Council (NNDC) will move 1.8 million cubic metres of sand from the cliff side and on to the beach.

The council says this will protect Bacton village from flooding for "up to 20 years".

An online petition to stop the nets, has been created to: "Grant legal protection to Swallow, Swift and Martin nest sites not just nests."

The petition has gained over 25,000 signatures to protect locations similar to the Bacton coast.

A spokesperson for the RSPB said: "We are disappointed that North Norfolk District Council have placed netting on the cliffs at Bacton to prevent sand martins from nesting.

We can confirm the Council's actions do not follow RSPB advice, or indeed their own construction plans."

Based on the images we have seen published, our advice has not been followed and we will be reaching out to NNDC to offer further advice and support."

The decision has sparked outrage on social media, with some users sharing videos saying: "These innocent Sand Martins have travelled thousands of miles to revisit our amazing country & to find their nest sites netted up like this is crazy.

"Whoever's ordered this, needs their family home taken from them!"

A North Norfolk District Council spokesman said: “The Bacton/Walcott Coastal Management Scheme (the Bacton Sandscaping Scheme) is a highly complex project.

“It has been designed to protect hundreds of homes in Bacton and Walcott, and the critical infrastructure of Bacton Gas Terminal, for many years to come, and has been five years in the planning.

“It has been subject to full environmental impact assessment, planning permission and marine licence applications.

“We understand that the RSPB have concerns around the temporary netting element of the project and we are intending to meet with them and contractors on site to fully assess what those concerns are."
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North Norfolk District Council have given into pressure and have agreed to remove controversial netting on a cliff side that is preventing birds from accessing their nests.

Following a meeting with the Nature's Voice the Council have announced: "Following positive discussions with the RSPB and Natural England today, we have instructed contractors to remove the upper levels of netting on Bacton cliffs.

"Minimum levels will be retained to assist in progressing with this critical project to protect people’s homes and national infrastructure.

"Following this, ongoing discussions will take place between NNDC and the RSPB about the material to be used on the lower section of cliff to allow this to happen.

"Please also be aware that these cliffs are not safe to climb on. Please don’t attempt to do this. A team of abseiling professionals will carry out the work in the next 24 hours."

The RSPB are unhappy with the result as it doesn't go far enough to protect sand martins and other birds.

A spokesperson said: "The issue and images of the Bacton cliff netting have been very upsetting for all.

"We are pleased to have had a conversation with North Norfolk District Council this afternoon about the situation. During the conversation, the Council committed to removing the netting covering the upper section of the cliffs tomorrow once their abseiling teams are available.

“We will be taking up an invitation from the Council to visit the site as soon as possible this week to discuss our outstanding concerns. This will cover our concerns regarding the 1.3km length of the netted cliff face that will remain.

"We will ask the Council to reduce this to 50m maximum and keep to a height of 7m. We will also be raising the issue of the material currently in use.

"We will be re-outlining our original recommendation of geotextile meshing to ensure that the burrows in the sandscaping zone are not smothered; in addition, by using geotextile it will also ensure no birds can be trapped.

“We will continue to keep everyone updated as the situation develops. Thank you for your concern regarding the sand martins.”

Two separate online petitions in connection have been signed by hundreds of thousands of people.

The petition 'Make 'netting' hedgerows to prevent birds from nesting a criminal offence' has over 260,000 signatures, and was supported by Labour MP and Shadow Secretary of State for Education Angela Rayner.

The other, 'Grant legal protection to Swallow, Swift and Martin nest sites not just nests' has close to 40,000 signatures.

A protest has been organised at Bacton beach, Norfolk at 5pm this evening (8/9), by a private Facebook group in which members have threatened to remove the netting themselves.

The hashtag 'NetsDownForNature' has been trending on Twitter throughout the day.
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Sisters with deadly cancer diagnosed just weeks of each other -- but only one of them will survive

Two sisters have told of their heartbreak after both were diagnosed with the same rare aggressive cancer just weeks apart - with only one set to beat the killer disease.

Julia Gailes, 48, found a lump in her left breast and while she was waiting for test results, sister Wendy Moffett, 57, discovered an identical lump in her right boob.

Not wanting to worry her little sister, Wendy secretly had tests, and was diagnosed with the same cancer as Julia, five weeks after her sibling.

The pair both had single mastectomies two months apart, and Julia had chemotherapy and radiotherapy.

They supported each other throughout 18 months of treatment, calling regularly and sending text messages to boost each other's spirits.

But while Julia was told she was in remission, Wendy was told she couldn't have chemotherapy due to a weak heart.

Just 10 months after her sister was given the all clear, Wendy was told her cancer was terminal, and she had one year to live.

Despite their starkly different prognosis', the pair are closer than ever, and threw a joint party to celebrate life.

Married mum-of-three Julia, from Consett, County Durham, said: "It's felt like the luck of the draw -- obviously I'd rather we'd not had it, but if I was going to go through this with anyone, it's Wendy.

"I can feel well for myself - but knowing that I’m going to be okay when Wendy will not be has been too much to bear."

Grandmother-of-four Wendy, a former end of life carer, from Bishop Auckland, said: "I didn't think when I was diagnosed that it would be what got me in the end. But at least I've had Julia.

"I know it's been hard on Julia, because she's surviving when I'm not. But it's okay. I’m not fed up, I’m not angry, I’m not overly upset -- it’s just happened."

Shop worker Julia found a lump in her left breast in May, 2017, when she happened to brush her hand across her breast and felt it, and was diagnosed later that month.

Unknown to her, Wendy was secretly waiting for her biopsy results after finding similar lumps on her right breast, following a regular checkup.

Though Wendy knew about Julia’s diagnosis, she didn’t tell her sister she might also have cancer because she didn’t want to stress her out during her ordeal.

“I didn’t want to alarm her - but we’re such close sisters that afterwards I felt silly for not having told her straight away,” Wendy said.

Five weeks after Julia’s diagnosis, Wendy was told that she had also been diagnosed with triple negative -- the exact same strain of the disease, in July 2017.

Julia and Wendy, a mum-of-three, are two of 8,000 women in the UK this year alone who will contract triple negative breast cancer, according to Breast Cancer Care.

This vein of cancer is not fuelled by oestrogen and progesterone, which means it doesn't respond to hormonal therapy medicines.

Triple negative breast cancer cells produce too much of the HER2 protein, meaning that cells divide too quickly and the cancer is more likely to spread and to recur.

It can only be treated with surgery, chemotherapy, and radiotherapy.

Though Wendy and Julia had genetic tests to see if the disease is hereditary, there's no risk for their children.

Wendy was treated at Darlington Hospital at the same time that Julia was being treated in Hexham -- and both sisters lost one breast each.

Julia's breast was removed in December 2017, after she had a failed lumpectomy.

Wendy had her mastectomy in August 2017 because she couldn't have intensive treatment.

Julia had an aggressive first round of chemotherapy between May and October in 2017, 15 days radiotherapy in February, and another six months' chemotherapy from March.

Wendy had already fought off breast cancer five years earlier, so could only have five days of radiotherapy, due to intense treatment first time round.

She also has dilated cardiomyopathy, which reduces the heart’s ability to pump blood -- and which stopped her from having chemotherapy.

“Because I’d had that cancer, though, and I’d had the radiotherapy back then, the doctor said I could only really have five days’ extra treatment," she said.

“My weak heart means I’ve never had chemo.”

Julia went into remission and was declared free of triple negative in March 2018.

But Wendy’s health took an unfortunate turn for the worst.

Just days after her mastectomy in August 2017, she had a massive heart attack.

She was rushed to a coronary clinic before being immediately transferred to The James Cook University Hospital in Middlesbrough for one month.

Wendy was then fitted with a pacemaker and defibrillator -- which she said has set her back enormously and slowed her down.

“Heart failures put everything on hold,” she said. “I can’t move or stand as much as I used to now. I’ll never get back to how I was before.”

She Wendy found more cancerous growths on her surgical scars and down her back in September 2018.

She was diagnosed with secondary cancer - which was "treatable but incurable" - in October, after it spread to her lungs.

Doctors said in January this year she was terminal, and she was given 12 months to live.

But Wendy has remained positive - and in sisterly style is more worried about her sibling than herself.

“Julia was able to have a round of chemo, followed by a round of radiotherapy, and another round of chemo, and it looks, on that basis, like the treatment obviously worked," said Wendy.

“But because of what’s happened to me, it’s something that she will always have hanging over her.

"She'll be thinking -- ‘Will it come back?’ I know she’s wondering.

“We’ve chatted loads about it and at the back of her mind, she knows that she’s beaten the cancer - at least, for now.

“She’s thinking a lot about if it grows back, like it did for me.

"I know I would be the same if I had beaten it and Julia was diagnosed with secondary cancer.

“It’s something that you can never put out of your mind.”

Julia, who cares for her autistic son, Lewis, nine, and her father James, 79, who has vascular dementia, said she checks every day that her tumours haven't returned.

"I’m not confident it won’t come back," said Julia, who has husband Andrew, 50.

"Although they told me that I’m cancer free, I still check along my scars every day for little lumps.

“This particular cancer is so aggressive, and because it returned along Wendy’s scar lines I’m checking all the time.

“Every time I cough, I think there might be a speck in my lungs. I’m petrified.

“I can’t go through chemo again. It was horrific.

“Thinking about the cancer returning moves me to tears.”

She’s found it hard to accept that Wendy will not survive the same cancer that she has now been declared free of.

“I can feel well for myself - but knowing that I’m going to be okay when Wendy will not be has been too much to bear," she said.

Julia and Wendy threw a gala in March and raised £5,000 for Breast Cancer Care.

Through her Facebook blog, Julia’s Jugs’ Journey, she raised £2,500.

Despite the immense trials she has faced, Wendy is taking each day as it comes.

"I know it's been hard on Julia, because she's surviving when I'm not. But it's okay. I’m not fed up, I’m not angry, I’m not overly upset -- it’s just happened," she said.

“There’s no rage, I don’t feel unlucky -- I’ve accepted it.

“My focus is on every month -- I like to think that I’m a glass half full person.

“I won’t go down without a fight.”
SWNS_CANCER_SISTERS17.jpgImage by: Julia GailesVideo by: Lee Mclean SWNS


British sanctuary is home to this massive DONKEY which is set to become the biggest - in the WORLD

SWNS_GIANT_DONKEY_01.jpg Image by: Tom Maddick SWNS

A British sanctuary is home to this massive DONKEY which is set become the biggest - in the WORLD.

The enormous young animal called Derrick is a staggering 16.3 Hands (5ft 7ins) tall -
and is still growing.

Whopping Derrick is an American Mammoth Jackstock - the largest breed in the world.

The current record is held by Romulus in the Texas, USA, who measures 17 Hands - (5ft 8ins).

Derrick is now just an inch short but his owners say he will easily become a world record holder for biggest donkey.

The donkey lives at Radcliffe Donkey Sanctuary, Lincolnshire.
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Sanctuary owner Tracy Garton said: "He was always big, he was big when he was born.

"He hasn't finished growing yet, they stop growing when they reach seven years old.

"So he still has a lot of time."

The 52-year-old said that despite his size, Derrick is a gentle giant: "Derrick is very very friendly.

"He's just like a big dog, follows you around all the time and wants to be by your side."

When Derrick stops growing, the sanctuary will call Guinness World Records.

Romulus has held the title since 2013, but is set to lose the crown once Derrick finishes growing.

Radcliffe Donkey Sanctuary opened in 1992, it has 59 animals including donkeys, mules, horses, zeedonks and a zonky.
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Watch jaw-dropping moment huge meteor lights up night sky as it crashes towards Earth

Video by: Jessica Waters SWNS_METEOR_DASHCAM_01.jpg Image by: Simon Galloway

This is the jaw-dropping moment a huge METEOR lit up the night sky as it crashes towards Earth.

The incredible footage was filmed by a police car’s dash cam during a routine patrol in Maryland, USA.

Cops in Ocean City were driving along 130th street at around 11am on Tuesday (April 16) when the meteor burst through the earth’s atmosphere.

The clips shows the firey meteor career down from space to put on a breathtaking display.

It was filmed in Ocean City, on 130th Street, by Ocean City police patrol officer, Nathan Kutz.

PFC Kutz had been asked by a resident of the community to carry out extra patrols in that area after raising safety concerns to the force.

Ocean City Police Department have dash cams installed on their patrol vehicles in their constant fight against crime.

But on this rare occasion, PFC Kutz was able to use his to film this “incredible display”.

A spokesperson for Ocean City Police Department said: “Just before midnight, the meteor flew through the sky and was captured on PFC Kutz dash cam.

“We are used to our dash cams catching the bad guys but the fact that it caught this beautiful display of science is incredible.”

Meteors - also known as shooting stars - typically hit speeds of up to 45,000mph when they enter the earth’s atmosphere.

As they head towards the surface of the earth they create a streak of light caused by aerodynamic heating.

Meteors become visible between about 75 to 120 km above Earth and vary in size and composition.
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Mum who had still born twins and fell into a coma because of a rare liver condition was given a new organ - and now has a new baby

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A mum who had stillborn twins and fell into a coma because of a rare liver condition was given a new organ - and now has a new baby.

Louise Prashad, 25, suffered the tragic double blow after being struck down with an often fatal condition during her first pregnancy.

Her 'acute fatty liver of pregnancy' saw her wake from a coma to be told her twins had been stillborn.

Mia and Leo were stillborn at 37 weeks - something Louise did not know about until she woke up three weeks later.

Louise thought she would never have another child - and only survived thanks to a liver transplant donated by a woman in her 50s.

It was found by medics in eight hours after Louise was escalated to number one on the European organ register.

Louise was wracked with grief following the death of the twins and practically gave up all hope of ever being a mother again.

Her reluctance was down to the one in four chance of the 'acute fatty liver' condition reoccurring during another pregnancy.

But after making the brave decision to try for another baby with her now husband Max, 30, who works in a restaurant, she fell pregnant with Ava following a year wait.

Louise wasn’t convinced little Ava, who is now one, would be born alive until being welcomed into the world on March 20, 2018.

She said: “I never thought I would have another child. When I decided I wanted to try again, I had to wait over a year because the medication I was on was really harmful.

“We started trying and it took a year and a half. I finally fell pregnant with Ava but it was the most nerve-wracking pregnancy. I really struggled to enjoy it.

“When you are pregnant, the slightest little thing can set your nerves going but I was on tenterhooks constantly.

“I didn’t believe she was going to be here alive until I gave birth. I wasn’t allowed a natural birth, I had to have a planned cesarean to make sure she was here safely.

“The minute I saw her and heard her cry I thought ‘she is actually here and I can stop doubting myself’.

“She is the spitting image of Mia and Leo, the similarities are so strange - the dark hair, same colour eyes, olive skin, cute button nose.”

After the birth of Ava, Louise’s first thoughts were of her son and daughter and of the woman who had donated the organ.

She wrote a letter to the donor’s family to let them know where their mum’s organ had gone and what Louise had achieved thanks to the woman in her 50s.

Louise fell pregnant with twins Mia and Leo in August 2015 aged 21 while taking a degree in law and having only been with her then-boyfriend, Max for six months.
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She had a difficult pregnancy and then began to suffer from extreme fatigue, sickness and abdominal pain in the months before her due date.

Louise was rushed to hospital after vomiting two pints of blood before slipping into unconsciousness following complications with her pregnancy.

Medics later discovered Louise had been struck down with potentially fatal 'acute fatty liver of pregnancy' which affects one woman in 10,000 and meant Mia and Leo were 'born sleeping'.

She bears a scar across her stomach from the emergency transplant and caesarean. Louise sees these scars as a stark reminder of her survival and gift of life but also the devastation that she experienced.

Louise underwent a liver transplant while she was unconscious and had a very slim chance of survival

After waking up she could not remember the months leading up to her illness due to delirium.

Whilst recovering in the hospital, Lousie had to be told the devastating news that her twins had passed away.

Louise, who works for City of York Council, said: “Mum came in and broke the news that Mia and Leo weren’t here anymore. I screamed the place down.

“That’s when it all felt real and my brain came round to the idea they weren’t there anymore.

“It was the most traumatic experience of my life. I somehow found this inner strength that I needed to get better to ensure they had the best send off possible. They deserved so much more than the hand they were dealt.

“It was all about them and trying to celebrate what little life they had. I was numb.”

Louise had to learn to walk and write again, but once she left intensive care, managed to visit the chapel of rest and spend some time with Mia and Leo before the funeral.

Louise and her husband Max, of Holgate, York, have since raised £800 for a remembrance bench in Rowntree Park in honour of Mia and Leo and other families who have experienced child loss.

She said: “April 25 will be Mia and Leo’s birthday, so we’re hoping to get the bench in place by then. I was trying to think of something positive I could do.

“The last few years have been a whirlwind of emotion and grief, that never really stops.

“I wanted something in our home city we could visit with Ava on special occasions when we need some time out to think about them, or having a hard day.

“Somewhere we could go that’s a memorial and not a grave.

"I cannot even begin to explain how perfect my children were, I still think about them everyday. The pain never fades."

Louise is still undergoing counselling and physiotherapy to improve her mobility but is determined to make her children proud by raise awareness of organ donation and liver conditions in pregnancy.

She said: “Awareness of liver conditions in pregnancy is very low key. More needs to be done to educate the general public.

“Itchy skin, abdominal pain, yellowing of the skin, excessive thirst, tiredness, bleeding gums are all symptoms.

“I think if you are willing to receive an organ, then you should be willing to donate.

“I was on the organ donor register before but I didn’t give it a moment’s thought, it was just something I ticked on my driving application but it is so much more than that. You are saving someone's child, someone's mother, the love of someone's life."

“It was through no fault of my own that I found myself in that situation and if there had not have been a donor available I wouldn’t be here and my husband would have lost three people that day.”

In the last three years, Louise has continued to exude strength and is now trying to use her experiences to benefit other families.

Friends and family are running York 10K in memory of Mia, Leo and organ donors and all funds raised will be donated to local organ donation charities.

To donate towards the memorial fund, visit justgiving.com/crowdfunding/miaandleoyork10k.
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