Health

A breast cancer diagnosis is the start of a lengthy and painful journey, through mastectomies, radiation therapy, chemotherapy, and all its side effects. At best it takes two months to remove the disease. For 73-year-old Carla DiMaggio, after losing her firefighter son on 9/11 and four aunts to breast cancer at an early age, her diagnosis in 2014 came amid decades of grief. But there was one nugget of hope: she was eligible for a groundbreaking new two-hour procedure, that can have patients back in work and cancer-free within 10 days. Two years later, Carla, a grandmother-of-six from New York's Staten Island, remains cancer-free and incredibly grateful. 

Andy Whelan, 30, from Oswaldtwistle, Lancashire, posted a distressing black and white image of his daughter Jessica grimacing in pain as she battled the terminal disease (left). The four-year-old (pictured with her father, right) was diagnosed with stage four neuroblastoma in September last year and is no longer receiving treatment. A fundraising campaign was set up to give the little girl a chance to enjoy her last few weeks and it raised almost £100,000. But her father has now closed the GoFundMe page and has written online that his daughter's 'time remaining with us is sadly limited' (inset). Mr Whelan was overwhelmed with the support the family received and thanked people for their 'comments, messages and fundraising attempts'.

Sarah Summers (left), 31, from Treherbert in the Rhondda, was diagnosed with breast cancer in May last year after finding a lump. She underwent 18 weeks of chemotherapy and had began to recover - but was told at the start of this year that she had a genetic mutation leaving her at high risk of further tumours. In April, doctors confirmed the worst and revealed her cancer had returned and had even spread to her lungs. Experts advised her to seek funding for a drug called Kadcyla but her local health board rejected her appeal. Her health continued to deteriorate and she developed fluid on her lungs and pneumonia before losing her battle at the start of September. Her husband Michael Poole (right), 31, said: 'We were lost for words.'

Heather Reed (left and right), 37, was diagnosed with Kleine-Levin syndrome - also known as 'sleeping beauty syndrome' - two years ago. But five years before doctors revealed she had myalgic encephalomyelitis - which causes persistent fatigue. On a good day she sleeps for around 12 hours but some days her illnesses can be so bad that she needs 22 hours of shut eye. Her combination of conditions forced her to lose her job and has prevented her from having a normal social life.

Kayleigh Gilbert (left), 31, from Mildenhall, Suffolk, who has two daughters Lyla (together right), seven, and Aoife, five, underwent eight months of aggressive chemotherapy (left inset) to battle her leukaemia after being diagnosed two years ago. Doctors warned her she had less than a one per cent chance of conceiving naturally, crushing her hopes of ever having a son. Despite treatment being a success and her entering remission, she was left worried her cancer had returned when she began to feel sick and tired. But after seeking medical help, tests revealed she was four-and-a-half months pregnant - with the little boy she always longed for. She gave birth to Eilon (right inset) in June this year.

Brian Turner, a bodybuilder from the U.S. who once suffered from painful-looking acne (left), has shared his comprehensive list for banishing blemishes for good (right). Mr Turner previously said his three main tips for eradicating acne were cutting out dairy, eating 12 servings of vegetables a day (inset) and 3.7 litres of water. But he said there's so much more you can do to clear your skin, including changing your bed sheets each night, showering straight after your sweat and quitting alcohol. Here he shared the 'easy, medium and hard' list of tips you can do to clear your skin.

Jennifer Moats, 29, from Fort Riley, Kansas, weighed 236lbs after the birth of her third child. The 5'5" mom had high blood pressure and was borderline diabetic, but after her divorce, she decided she was too young to be so heavy. Jennifer cut out sugars and carbs from her diet and started a workout regimen that helped her get down to 112lbs in less than a year.

Tyler McDonnell (inset), from Leeds, had developed a bad cough and high temperature and was violently shaking last month. But his mother Theresa (main), 41, says doctors believed it to be just a viral infection and sent him home. When his condition worsened over the following week, she took him back to Bellbrooke Surgery in Harehills, where his GP prescribed antibiotics - which they say was just 'following procedures'. Ms McDonnell realised his heart had stopped beating and immediately called an ambulance when she tried to give him the medicine. Doctors diagnosed him with meningococcal meningitis and spent days trying to save his life - but he died just two days later.

Tracy Kiss, 29, from Buckinghamshire, has revealed that she has enlisted her friend to provide her with regular sperm which she adds to her morning smoothies. She says that it has boosted her energy levels and made her feel less 'run down'. Tracy adds she is happy to drink it neat unless he has had alcohol or has eaten something particularly pungent. Pictured: Tracy touches the contents of her sample pot (right).

Hollie Faye Cullen, 18, from Devon, struggled with anorexia since the age of 14. In the grip of her illness, she would often limit herself to just 250 calories a day and once lived off tea alone. At her lowest point she weighed just 4 stone (left). However taking up pole dancing (inset) has helped restore her body confidence and she is now a much healthier weight (right).

Lily Thomas was just nine years old when she saved her sister's life. The little girl, from Australia, was a near perfect match for her younger sister Ava (pictured inset and left, right with her sister Lily), and was able to donate bone marrow to save her. Ava was diagnosed with MPS 1 Hurler syndrome, a rare genetic condition, when she was five months old. The family appeared on Today Extra to share their story, describing the bone marrow donation as a 'miracle'.

A doctor in China has successfully grown an artificial ear on a man's arm in a pioneering medical procedure (pictured). The patient, surnamed Ji, lost his right ear in an accident and yearned to have it back. Guo Shuzhong (inset), a plastic surgeon from a hospital in Xi'an, used Mr Ji's cartilage from his ribs to build the new ear. He expects to transfer it to the man's head in about four months.

Eight states have voted to legalize marijuana for recreational or medical use. California, Massachusetts and Nevada voted to legalize the recreational use of marijuana, giving a huge boost to the campaign to allow pot nationwide. Maine's votes, though still being counted on Wednesday morning, were close but looking most likely in favor of legalization. 

Experts have revealed how long it takes to burn off unhealthy meals - including two hours of spinning for a Chinese takeaway and three hours of aerobics for a burger and chips. And it's not just foods that can be detrimental to your waistline, with a single vodka and Red Bull (112 calories) requiring 25 minutes of weightlifting and a pint of beer (250 calories) taking around 20 minutes of climbing to burn off.

A retainer has been invented to give men extra pleasure during fellatio. The plastic contraption fits into the sexual partner's mouth like a normal tooth-protecting device provided by orthodontists. But this invention, by dentist-turned-artist Kuang-Yi Ku, has an added twist. Aside from keeping the sexual partner's teeth in perfect condition, the retainer is built with cushioning to feel like human tissue. It can be customized with different kinds of bumps and curves to suit each user's personal taste. One day Ku hopes to apply biotechnological procedures, such as growing cells, to surgically implant lumps of human tissue into a person's mouth, rather than using a contraption with curves and ridges made to mimic them. 

The royal, 32, stars in a new charity single music video - a new version of Daniel Powter’s ‘Bad Day’ sung by the WellChild Nurse and Families choir, bottom right, and featuring Scouting For Girls and rising X-Factor star, Josh Daniel. WellChild Patron Prince Harry shows his doting side, bottom right, as he appears in the video, along with WellChild Nurses and children they support. The red-haired royal, who can be seen in a teaser video clip, walks into the hospital with the nurses, top right, and bonds with a sick child, top left.

Lucy Cookson (left, with husband Adam in 2013), from Wakefield, suffered a catastrophic brain injury after she was rushed to theatre with a massive haemorrhage following the birth of her daughter Millie (right, as a baby). The 25-year-old, who lost six pints of blood on New Year’s Eve 2013, underwent surgery and was given a spinal anaesthetic instead of a general anaesthetic. She suffered a cardiac arrest during the procedure at Pinderfield’s Hospital in Wakefield, West Yorkshire, which starved her brain of oxygen and plunged her into a coma. Despite improvements, the young mum is still unable to walk or talk properly and relies on family and carers for help and support for everyday tasks.

Jade Ambrose, now 23, from Leeds, was 33 weeks pregnant and asleep when she was awoken by Lola (inset) who started barking. It was only then that she realised she was losing blood and her waters had broken - two common signs of a miscarriage. She was rushed to hospital where doctors fought to save her unborn child's life. And just eight weeks later, in August this year, she gave birth by Caeserean section to her little boy called Oliver (left), now 11 weeks. She believes her close relationship with the Staffordshire Bull Terrier cross (pictured right as a family with partner Paul Stacey, 29) is the only reason he is alive today.

Marcus McCarthy (left), from Southend, didn't have the strength to stand on his own two feet after being born (inset) with cerebral palsy. Although his healthy twin Jacob tried to help him with things, he struggled and just couldn't match him. Doctors told the family that it was unlikely he would ever walk unaided. But after a life-changing operation to give him more movement and 12 months of physiotherapy, he has now ditched his walking frame (right with Jacob) to walk for the first time.