SHE sadly lost her battle with cancer - but now the family of Patsy Harris-Bye have delivered a five-figure cash legacy to a north Hampshire project that will help cancer sufferers in the future.

Patsy was diagnosed with cancer in 1990, just months after giving birth to her second son.

Despite undergoing radiotherapy and chemotherapy, she sadly passed away in the summer of 1992, leaving behind her partner Glyn Harris, four-year-old son Joe and Stevie, then just 20 months old.

Shortly after her death, the family presented Mr Merv Rees, the consultant surgeon who had treated Patsy, with a cheque for £1,800 for equipment for the hospital, following a fundraising drive to keep her memory alive.

It is a legacy that the family has continued, and in recent years they have raised an incredible £11,000, which they always intended to donate to a charity close to their hearts.

When they heard that Mr Rees, now clinical director of surgery at the trust which runs the hospital, had helped to set up the Ark Cancer Centre Charity to raise £5million towards a state-of-the-art cancer centre in north Hampshire, they realised they had found their perfect cause to support.

With their donation being matched by charitable organisation Greenham Common Trust, the family were able to donate a grand total of £22,000 to the campaign.

The whole family, along with family friend and fundraiser Barbara Mellish, had an emotional reunion with Mr Rees when they presented him with a cheque.

Stevie, 23, said “It was an emotional experience to meet the man who treated my mum, and to see that he remembered her and that our previous donation meant a lot to us all.

“Knowing she was treated by Mr Rees, who has such passion for his work and truly cared for her and my family, is extremely comforting.”

Mr Rees said he was delighted to meet the family again, having last seen Stevie when he was just a toddler.

He said he was hugely impressed by the hard work and determination the family had all put into fundraising in Patsy's memory, and told them: “Your story as a family is very moving and I can only express that it is my privilege to be included in your thoughts.

“We will keep you posted as the project progresses and I shan't rest until we complete it.”

The £18.5m cancer centre will be built in a north Hampshire location, near to Basingstoke, that has still to be confirmed. It will provide radiotherapy, chemotherapy and other complementary therapies for patients, who currently have to travel to Southampton or Guildford to recieve vital treatment.

To find out more about the charity, visit www.arkcancercharity.org.uk, email info@arkcancercharity.org.uk or call 01256 360419.