A BRAVE mum-of-two who is battling incurable cancer is raising funds for research into the disease.

Kirsty Wightman, 27, originally from Haddington, was diagnosed with Stage 4 breast cancer last year which has spread to her bones and liver.

She and her friend Emma Carnegie, 41, from Prestonpans, are planning a cream tea in aid of Cancer Research UK on January 31.

The event is being held at Emma’s new coffee and cake shop at Dalrymple Loan, off Musselburgh High Street, which is due to open to the public shortly.

The two women met when they both worked at the former Ford’s the Bakers in Haddington. Emma was the manager and Kirsty, who attended Knox Academy, had a Saturday job in the shop.

They lost touch but became friends again on Facebook.

But Kirsty’s life was shattered when she was diagnosed with Stage 4 breast cancer.

At that time she, husband Ray – a serving soldier – and son Kyle, now aged two-and-a-half, were living in Germany.

Kirsty was pregnant with their daughter Kaci at the time and was experiencing a lot of pain so went to the doctor.

She told the Courier: “My husband got a posting back to England in June and we discovered I had breast cancer. It was Stage 4 and was in my bones and my liver.

“It has been a whirlwind of emotions. I was shocked – it was just heartbreaking.

“It is classed as incurable but treatable.

“I had to deliver my baby at 31 weeks on July 24 and had spinal surgery two days later.

“Kaci was absolutely tiny when she was born but has come on leaps and bounds. We have got a little diva.”

Ray, who is originally from Glasgow, was moved to Redford Barracks, Edinburgh, so that they could have more support from family and friends, including Kirsty’s mum and dad Tracy and Alan Robertson, who now live in Ormiston.

“They have been my rock,” said Kirsty, who underwent six cycles of chemotherapy lasting about three months at the Western General Hospital, Edinburgh.

She said the tumours had shrunk and she had started taking the drug Tamoxifen to see if it would keep the disease at bay.

“At the moment I feel brilliant since I started taking these tablets. Chemotherapy did knock me for six but with these tablets, I kind of feel back to normal now,” added Kirsty.

She said she was keen to raise funds to help find a cure for cancer and research to prolong the lives of cancer sufferers.

Emma suggested she could do something as she was about to open her new coffee shop ‘Cakes & Shakes @ No 17’. She decided to host a cream tea charity day which has attracted a wave of support. There will be two sittings of 40 people, as well as raffle prizes.

Fifty tickets have already been sold but another 30 are up for grabs.

They are available by emailing Emma at cakesat17@yahoo.co.uk

Emma’s new coffee shop is expected to open four to six weeks after the charity event.