A ‘MIRACLE’ mum has baffled doctors by beating the odds after twice being warned she had just six months to live.

Pat Marley, 66, of Siddington Road, Poynton, has been read the Last Sacrament seven times in 18 years as a result of complications from Systemic Sclerosis, an autoimmune disease.

She had also endured heart failure and been on a life support machine.

Mum-of-three Pat said: "I’ve had the last sacrament seven times over the years, but I’m still here – just about!  The first time they said I had six months to live I was running around like a headless chicken. My main concern was the children, I wanted to get them all sorted. And I was rushing around trying to see my friends because I thought it could be the last time."

Pat was given the devastating prognosis shortly after she was diagnosed in 1990, and again three years ago when she had heart failure.

Currently a day patient at the East Cheshire Hospice, Pat puts her longevity down to positive thinking and a good support network from her family and the hospice.

She said: "I just resolved to the idea that they (doctors) just didn’t know any more about it than I did. It is sort of a relief in a way because at the time you are in so much pain and you think it’s going to be the end of it. But then things just started getting a bit better and I’m still here."

A pilgrimage to Lourdes in 1992 and regular visits to the hospice gave Pat the opportunity to be with other people who are suffering from debilitating illnesses.

She said: "It’s very stressful to be in so much pain because you get no relief, so it’s important to be able to talk about how you are feeling. We all pick each other up, one day I may not be feeling so good but on another day I may be able to help someone else – it’s really helped. The hospice is wonderful because I do have a lot of pain and we do relaxation, a bit of tai chi and reiki, which is very helpful."

To say thank you to the hospice and help raise funds to keep it going, Pat’s daughter Kerry, 33, from Lyme Road, Poynton, will be joined by colleagues from the Style Lounge in Alderley Edge to take part in the Midnight Walk.

Kerry said: "Mum isn’t a cancer patient but she really benefits from going to the hospice, everyone is so wonderful. We’re doing the walk because we wanted to get as much funding as possible so more people can go and enjoy the day care facilities."