'I'm still here' - mum Heidi Loughlin still defying medics years after being given months to live
Watch: Heidi Loughlin speaks to ITV West Country about her experience of living with terminal cancer
A woman who was first diagnosed with incurable breast cancer eight years ago has said she is focused on "enjoying life and getting on with it".
Heidi Loughlin, 40, from Portishead, was pregnant with her third child Ally when she found out she had a rare and aggressive form of breast cancer in 2015.
She delayed chemotherapy to give birth to Ally 12 weeks prematurely, but Ally sadly died from an infection shortly after.
Despite being given just 12 months to live, eight years later Ms Loughlin is continuing to defy doctors' expectations.
According to Breast Cancer Now, she is one of around 61,000 people in the UK living with secondary breast cancer — when the disease spreads to other parts of the body and there is no chance of cure.
Speaking to ITV News West Country to mark the start of Breast Cancer Awareness month, Heidi Loughlin said it helps to stay positive.
"You are allowed to have down days obviously, that's completely normal. But rather than letting all the darkness of cancer swallow up your life, which is giving into it, you have to take control of the things you can," she said.
"Just getting up every day, doing all the normal things, enjoying life and getting on with it like you don't have that dark cloud hanging over you.
"I'm still here and I feel completely normal and completely healthy."
She is still having chemotherapy treatment every three weeks but is determined to live life to the full.
She added: "It is all to play for, and it's not allowing that horrible diagnosis to suck you down. Cause you've still got an undetermined period of time.
"Everybody dies from something, and this is where we all owe it to ourselves to live the fullest lives that we can."
Ms Loughlin has used her experience as a force for good by campaigning for better breast cancer awareness and spoke of the importance of women checking their breasts regularly for any changes.
"There's this ongoing thing of 'oh, it won't be me', and actually what is so crucial is early diagnosis," she said.
"You need to advocate for your health, and checking your breasts is so important."