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.”
Image 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
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.
Image by: Tom Maddick SWNS
Image by: Tom Maddick SWNS
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.
Image by: Tom Maddick SWNS
Watch jaw-dropping moment huge meteor lights up night sky as it crashes towards Earth
Video by: Jessica Waters 
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.
Image by: Simon Galloway
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
Image by: Louise Prashad
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.
Image by: Louise Prashad
Image by: Louise Prashad
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.
Image by: Louise Prashad
Prisoners in smell block H
The toilet was installed by Transport for London for bus drivers caught short in the area, but locals are furious about the stone-grey building.
Local politicians in a leafy suburb have joined the fight against the "arrogant" plonking of a toilet block resembling a Dr Who Tardis on a residential street.
The toilet was installed by Transport for London for bus drivers caught short in the area, but locals are furious about the stone-grey building.
Hundreds of objectors have signed a petition against the private, driver-only toilet, known by fuming locals as 'the Turdis', in Biggin Hill, south east London.
Residents say they were given no warning about the permanent portaloo - and now local councillors have pitched in on the row.
There are now three of these bogs in Bromley, with others in Petts Wood and St Mary Cray.
The Biggin Hill bog has already had its window smashed, but neighbours claimed it was a bird.
Speaking last night (Tues), executive environment councillor William Huntington-Thresher said he was calling on TfL to lose the loo as soon as possible.
He said: “It appears TfL intended to notify residents but this did not happen,.
“It is disappointing TfL did not consult residents, and it is also disappointing TfL did not attempt to locate toilets that can be used by a number of bus routes.
“They clearly decided to install these with minimum effort on their part.
“I would agree with residents the location is entirely unsuitable and call upon TfL to remove it as soon as possible.”
The toilets were installed by TfL using its permitted development rights, meaning the authority could only object on the grounds of highway safety.
These rights have only been used previously for bus shelters, and the council is exploring whether it does extend to toilets.
Biggin Hill councillor Julian Benington said: “It is a monstrosity.
"The need for a toilet there is certainly questionable.
"I would like to ask the portfolio holder to ensure this toilet is removed as soon as possible – we don’t want it hanging around until Christmas and the new year.”
Petts Wood councillor Simon Fawthrop said TfL was acting “as though it can do whatever it likes” by placing a toilet in a special conservation area in his ward.
TfL has already apologised for the communication breakdown and is investigating how letters failed to reach Biggin Hill residents, and said it was meeting with neighbours to discuss the site’s feasibility.
Nick Fairholme, a director at TfL, said: “We are sorry that we did not inform all residents of our plans to install a toilet for bus drivers in Biggin Hill.
“We try to be mindful of residents when we install these important facilities but understand that there are concerns about this location.
“We have offered to meet the local community to explore the feasibility of a more suitable location, or if that is not possible to see if any changes can be made to the existing facility.”
Image by: Matthew Newby SWNS
Image by: Matthew Newby SWNS
Image by: Matthew Newby SWNS
Image by: Matthew Newby SWNS
Desk the Halls
Image by: Steve Chatterley
For the third year running engineer Jack Makepeace has created a merry masterpiece of his workspace so he can celebrate Christmas on the job.
Officer manager of Ibsecad, David Coy, said Jack had "knocked it out of the park" in the first 'decorate your desk' contest.
David, who has worked at the firm for six years, said: "I set up the competition in 2016 to create a bit of festive cheer in the office.
"The rest of us used a bit on tinsel and a tree, then Jack created a masterpiece that was absolutely incredible - he deserved the prize of a bottle of JD.
"Last year it got bigger and this year I came in on Monday to an ice castle. Already we're excited to see what he'll do in 2019.
"We were slightly worried about what he could be getting up to in his boxed-in castle but he does sit next to the regional director, Antony Henson, and he has put a window in there so we can have a peek in."
Image by: Steve Chatterley
It is especially brave - as Jack's desk is located next to the boss.
Jack said: "It took me about five hours to make. I have a degree in engineering so, luckily, the drawbridge didn't pose too many problems to construct.
"I then went into the office on Sunday to staple the whole thing together. I promise it was all done in my own time."
Jack has always loved Christmas, but especially so because his blind wife loves all the sparkles.
Jack said: "Charlotte has a genetic disorder called retinitis pigmentosa which meant she lost her sight at 14-years-old.
"She only has a little light perception left so she can see all the sparkles, on the tinsel and from the lights, so it is a very special time for us."
The couple, who have been together five years, live together in Morley, West Yorks., with their guide dog, Moss.
Video by: Ellis Wylam
A Christmas-mad office worker has turned his desk into Britain's most festive workspace - transforming into a snow-covered castle complete with 'smoking' chimney.
For the third year running, engineer Jack Makepeace has created a merry masterpiece of his workspace so he can celebrate Christmas while on the job.
What started as a competition amongst colleagues at building services firm Ibsecad in Leeds, West Yorks., has now become a tradition - with Jack's workmates waiting in anticipation for his Christmassy creation.
This year the newly married Yuletide fan drew inspiration from his recent honeymoon to Sweden when he and new wife, student Charlotte, 23, visited the Ice Hotel.
The 24-year-old created a cardboard castle covered in snow with a working drawbridge and a tunnel for escaping smoke - if somebody vapes through it.
It comes complete with fairy lights, tinsel, penguins and sugar canes.
Jack sits inside his castle to do his work and sets his computer on log fire screensaver mode if he starts feeling the cold.
Image by: Steve Chatterley
Jack said: "I had only worked here a couple of months when the company first set a competition in 2016.
"Others had put Christmas trees on their desk and I decided I wanted to go 'out there' and build a festive house around me.
"I wasn't quite sure whether it was the right thing to do, with me only working here a short while, but I thought 'sod it, it can only make people smile'.
"It went down such a storm that my colleagues said I had to make a bigger house next year - which I did - this year I thought I better build a castle."
Mystery winner of £76m EuroMillions jackpot revealed
Image by: Thomas Maddick
Andrew revealed that he will be sharing his millions with over 20 people in his family, including Trisha's 14-year-old daughter, who has special needs.
Andrew said: “She will be set up for life. Any care she needs she will have.
“I won’t stop doing the lottery. I don’t do any other gambling but I will still buy my £1 scratch card.”
Andrew Clark is believed to have three children named Jamie, 22, Rikki, 23 and Zhoe, 27, and he lives in a home worth around £200,000.
He has three granddaughters aged nine, six, and two. He has put £200 each in their Christmas cards.
When asked about being apparently relaxed about the win, he said: “This is me. We’re very down to earth people. Trish will keep me grounded.”
He added: “Trish bought a Nissan Quashquai. She’s not a car person but that’s what she wanted.”
Andrew used to make parts for Mercedes Formula One.
He said: “Perhaps now I can buy one.”
Asked about Christmas presents, Andrew said: “Everyone will still get the same pair of socks that they were all supposed to get.”
Speaking about their families, Trisha said: “I’m sure they will help us spend it.
“They money will benefit them for life.”
With Andrew claiming the ticket, a frantic six-week search for the winner comes to an end.
The National Lottery deployed ad vans to the area to encourage the winner to come forward, and even enlisted local town crier Steve O'Dare to spread the news.
Andrew's is the 12th biggest win ever in the UK, and is not the first time someone from the area has got lucky.
In 2015, Richard and Angela Maxwell, from Conningsby, Lincs., won £53m.
And in May this year, another winner from Grantham, Lincs., scooped just under £10m.
Image by: Thomas Maddick
BAD HAIR DAY
Image by: Sophia Soares
A baffled schoolboy has been punished by his school for cutting his hair too short - just a day after being told off because it was TOO LONG.
Jonathon Soares, 16, was told by staff last Monday that his haircut - which featured shorts side and a long floppy fringe and he had sported for months - was too long.
The 16-year-old student duly got a £10 trim that night at his local hairdresser and had the sides 'shaved faded' and the top and fringe cut shorter.
However the following day he was stunned when a teacher at Great Yarmouth Charter Academy, Great Yarmouth, Norfolk, told him off for his 'Meet Me at McDonalds' haircut.
The teenager, from Great Yarmouth, was punished for his new do and was put in isolation for the rest of the week - where he was forced to work alone.
Image by: Sophia Soares
Image by: Sophia Soares
Jonathan's mum was outraged by the school's decision to isolate her son and is worried this will now effect his GCSEs - which he is set to take at the end of the year.
The youngster's hair is naturally curly and brown.
The youngster's mum, Sophia Soares, 35, said: "It's ridiculous.
"It seems to me like they are making an example out of Jonathan.
"I understand that they need to have the correct uniform and look smart but there are no patterns in it and it's not an outrageous colour - it's just a short back and sides.
"In my eyes how he chooses to have his hair cut is up to him."
Image by: Sophia Soares
The GY Charter Academy pupil now fears he may not get his place at East Norfolk Sixth Form College next year if he gets excluded in his final months at the school.
Sophia added: "You should not isolate a child for their haircut.
"A haircut does not stop you from learning.
"He is not the only child in that school with that haircut either - it's discrimination.
"He's not learning anything in isolation now so he might as well be at home."
A spokesman for the Inspiration Trust, who run a range of schools across Norfolk and Suffolk said pupils and parents are aware of the school's guidelines.
The Trust said: "Great Yarmouth Charter Academy’s guidelines on uniform and appearance have been well publicised, and families and pupils are well aware of the school’s requirements around haircuts.
"These are not difficult to follow, and if pupils choose to go against them they do so knowing the sanctions they are likely to face."
LIVING NIGHTMARE
Image by: Patricia Rodrigues
A restaurant owner puzzled by her sky-high electricity bills says she was horrified to discover she had also been paying the bills for a nearby bowling alley and hotel.
Patricia Rodrigues, 29, couldn't understand why she was paying around £1,300 a month for her pizza restaurant until she had an electrician come round to check it out.
The pizzeria boss claims she was stunned to find she had also been paying for an adjacent hotel and bowling alley - adding nearly £42,000 extra to her bills over the seven years.
The Mondragone Ristorante e pizzeria in Brandon, Suffolk is part of a complex that includes the Brandon Lodge Apartment Hotel and Mr G's Bowling centre which are both owned by landlord Nolan Guthrie.
Image by: Patricia Rodrigues
When Patricia queried her bills with Mr Guthrie, he stated in a letter that it had been agreed she would pay all the power bills as part of the terms of renting out the restaurant.
But Patricia, who has been running the business since 2011 with her brother Fabio, claims she has never formally signed any terms or conditions or even lease.
She claims Mr Guthrie had delayed agreeing a formal lease when she first rented the property and only confirmed the rental amount.
Image by: Patricia Rodrigues
The single mother-of-two said: "When I opened the restaurant, it didn’t enter my mind that we would be paying for someone else’s electric.
"Then we started seeing that our bills were getting really high.
"I have been asking for a contract and a lease to be set up since I have moved in and I think this is why he never done so".
Patricia says her electricity bills started off at £150 and then gradually increased.
She added: "My electricity bill went up gradually - it went to £250 then £300 and so on.
"I was thinking maybe it is just getting busier at the restaurant which means we would be using more electricity - but then it went to £600, £700, £1,000 and kept going".
Image by: Patricia Rodrigues
Image by: Patricia Rodrigues
After having an electricity meter built into her restaurant, Patricia discovered that she should be paying between £400 and £500 a month.
An average household pays around £1138 a year in electricity bills and uses an average of 3,100 kWh a year.
But Patricia, who pays £833 a month on rent, was paying around this in one month and claims she would be using around 100 kWh on a "busy" day.
She added: "When the electrician switched the meter board off, the lights in the whole building went out.
"The landlord came running into the restaurant and tried to throw the electrician out - there was a big argument between them - and he said what they were doing was illegal".
A letter from Weeting-based Forest Electrical, states: "Following my visit to your premises today, I can confirm that the three phase electricity supply contact through a standard meter is also supplying electricity to two further circuits in separate premises to your own.
"In short, you are paying for the electricity to two different dwellings/businesses other than your own."
Patricia claims he has not paid her back the money she is owed and has since stopped paying the electricity bills for the last three months.
She adds: "It has been really hard for me.
"I held on for so long, because if they threw me out I would have nothing.
"I have had the police in here because I was worried about him.
"I just wanted to run away and disappear - it has been so expensive for me."
The Mr Guthrie has denied comment.
Image by: Patricia Rodrigues
Patricia says she is now moving her restaurant after being unable to settle the dispute.
Patricia later said she believed the two extra electricity circuits were connected to hotels rooms on the ground floor next to her restaurant, and rooms on the first floor above - but NOT the nearby bowling alley.
She said she thought there were eight to ten rooms in total.
Speaking today (wed), Nolan Guthrie advised OFF THE RECORD that Patricia Rodrigues had been aware of the extra electricity circuits.
He said this had been an informal arrangement as the rent for her business premises was low.
He denies her claim that she was unaware of this.
CHUBBY CHIHUAHUA
Image by: Patty Stanton
An obese Chihuahua who could barely move has shed more than half her body weight after ditching her indulgent diet.
Bertha tipped the scales at 13lbs when she was handed in to Muttville Senior Dog Rescue in San Francisco after her owner passed away.
The 11-year-old pooch was more than three times the recommended weight for a Chihuahua and could barely carry the massive weight on her tiny legs.
She was adopted by Allison Hackett, 35, in August 2017, who knew she could help the dog slim down and lead a happier life with a calorie-controlled diet.
Image by: Patty Stanton
Bertha committed to her diet of low-calorie, low-carb dog food and trained her palette to enjoy new offerings like carrot and apple.
Since embarking on her weight loss journey, the Chihuahua has shed 8lbs - more than half her body weight.
Allison, a mergers and acquisitions associate, said: "She was unable to move well and she was definitely hindered by her weight.
"She looked like a sausage.
"My friend said she looked like a loaf of bread on tiny legs.
"She is a Chihuahua so she should weigh about 5lbs, but when she was handed into the shelter she was about 13lbs.
"That’s almost triple what she should have been.
Image by: Allison Hackett
Image by: Allison Hackett
"She didn’t have a history so there was no evidence of what her diet had been like before but it was clear that it was bad.
"She lost about a pound during her time in Muttville so when I got her she was 12lbs.
"My vet advised me to start her on a low calorie and low carb dog food.
"We wanted her to lose weight slowly and healthily.
"She would have a quarter of a cup of this food a day in total.
"She reached 5lbs about a year into her diet and her vet is super happy with her at the moment."
Senior dog Bertha experiences regular seizures and can’t go too hard when it comes to exercise.
Image by: Allison Hackett
Image by: Allison Hackett
However, the pint-sized pooch loves to run around her house and can even climb the stairs, which she wasn’t able to do when she was obese.
Allison, of Saint Helena, California, said: "She is a much happier dog and is leading such a happy life now.
"We’re really strict about her diet. She’s not allowed any people food or high-calorie treats.
"Now she can go up and down the stairs, she can stand on her hind legs, she can run around.
"She has so much energy now and it’s so nice to hear the click of her toenails running around the house constantly especially when she could hardly move before."
While the pooch is on the straight and narrow, Bertha still loves her dinners and Allison said food is never far from her mind.
Allison said: "She definitely loves her food. She is always looking for it, she is constantly on the lookout.
"I can tell she's always thinking about it, but she is happy and healthy now and everyone is pleased with her progress."
Video by: Patty Stanton
