Last Christmas, Elaine Farrugia snuggled up on the sofa beside her husband. The presents had been opened, all the guests had left and they sat together watching the lights flickering on the tree.

As she lay on the sofa, she told her husband this would be her last Christmas. Just a month earlier, Ms Farrugia had been told her breast cancer had spread to her liver and doctors were certain she had only a few months to live.

Eleven months on, she has defied the odds with a constant smile, and is determined to fight the most feared of diseases.

Her husband, a doctor, realised she had a kink on the side of her breast four years ago. Ms Farrugia had hardly noticed it since the little bump looked much like the imprint of a bra.

The very next day she underwent several tests and the mammogram unveiled her greatest fears – it was cancer, and further investigations proved it had spread to her lymph nodes.

“The moment you find out is the worst, as you never know what to expect,” the 45-year-old said, pointing out that the uncertainty of the future kept her awake at night.

“The worst part is that you feel well and that makes it harder to accept that you’re dying,” she said, adding that sometimes she has to pinch herself to remember it is not all a bad dream.

Somehow, things got better, and although Ms Farrugia has been to hell and back, she has remained in remission.

Going to Boffa Hospital for chemotherapy was “completely depressing” but the solidarity among patients, the “incredible” staff, and the fact that she was surrounded by people who understood her made it much better.

Waiting for her therapy, she would see the cruise ships sail into the harbour and she waved to the happy tourists on board.

Life during the chemo and radiotherapy proceeded as normal. “I lost my hair, I had the lump removed, but life went on as usual,” she said.

Despite playing the illness down to her friends and family, in November 2009 things took a turn for the worse after she felt uneasiness in her side.

Blood tests and a CT scan revealed her liver looked like a sponge full of the metastasis from her breast. Doctors told her that without chemotherapy she had two months to live.

This time around, surgery was not an option. A liver transplant seemed unlikely and she started chemotherapy straight away. The chemotherapy this time was much stronger – her limbs swelled up and she lost her nails.

“When I knew the cancer was confined to my breast I didn’t think I was touching death, but now I feel I am.”

The love for her husband and her two children – aged 15 and 18 – keep her going.

“It might break you physically, but psychologically it doesn’t have to. I was never that spiritual. I never prayed for myself, but now I ask God to look out for me and my family.

“I obey my doctors’ instructions blindly and do whatever makes me feel good,” said Ms Farrugia, who goes swimming every day and tries to lead as healthy a life as possible.

Throughout the interview, she attempts to smile, but breaks down every time she mentions her children.

“I know that my husband will break down at some point, and my children are still young,” she said, pointing out that her 15-year-old son will sit for exams in June, though she cannot even think that far ahead.

Her husband and her children are her biggest concern as she fears she will not be there when they need her in the future.

“I feel I’m going to let them down. They have a full life ahead, and these thoughts make me want to keep up the fight. I want to stay here even more,” she said. Though her hair is still recovering from the therapy to fight the disease, Ms Farrugia looks more like a vibrant 30 year-old.

“The truth is that I feel very well and if you had to ask me what I have I’d probably say nothing. But I can’t plan for the future because I don’t know where I’ll be. Every morning I wake up and thank God that I’m seeing another sunrise,” Mrs Farrugia said.

With her latest blood results just in, it seems like the resilient mother will be spending another Christmas beside the tree with her family.

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