A Scots mum given just three years to live after being diagnosed with incurable brain cancer has vowed not to live in fear as she charts her journey on an inspirational Instagram page.

Sam Gibson was left devastated last summer when doctors told her she had brain cancer and told her she only had 'two to three' years to live.

The prospect of not seeing her two little daughters, Amelia, four, and two-year-old Emily, grow up was too much to bear for the 32-year-old proud mum, so she says, she made a promise to herself to fight.

Sam with daughters Amelia and Emily

Sam, of Irvine in Ayrshire, said: "It was awful. We were all in shock and my mum and my husband Alan crumbled at the news. I kept saying to everyone, 'I will be fine'. Obviously I cried when it properly hit me and I still do, but I just knew that crying about it was just wasting my energy to fight it.

"Having my girls, I knew I needed to get my Mama Bear fighting head on."

Sam's world was shattered in spring last year when she suffered a string of seizures. The first one occurred when she was laying in bed with her eldest daughter, Amelia and she began fitting and fell out of bed. Paramedics rushed to the family's home and although she was taken to Crosshouse Hospital, the cause of the seizure wasn't identified.

Sam has lost her hair

Sam suffered a second seizure in May last year whilst at the vets, holding the family dog, Molly, as she was being put to sleep. After a third seizure at home just weeks later, doctors booked Sam an MRI scan in June, which showed a tumour.

Sam was then booked in for craniotomy on the right frontal lobe of her brain, and on August 24 last year, surgeons at Glasgow's Queen Elizabeth University Hospital managed to remove 95 per cent of the mass, which at the time they thought was a low grade oligodendroglioma – a slow-growing tumour.

However, devastatingly, further tests revealed Sam's tumour was actually more advanced than they had initially thought and diagnosed her with anaplastic astrocytoma grade 3 – incurable brain cancer which has a life expectancy of two to three years.

Sam and husband Alan

Despite the shattering news, Sam said from the beginning she was determined to live.

She said: "That is the prognosis. It totally broke me at first, but Alan had been researching and he found up-to-date info from the brain tumour charity which states that if you make it five years without a reoccurrence then there is no reason why you shouldn't live as long as any other healthy person – so I'm aiming for that.

"Also, there are new treatments and clinical trials coming out all the time so I'm clinging to that too.

"I could go out tomorrow and get hit by a bus so I'm not going through all this trauma and fight to then live in fear, which is easier said than done but I'm trying hard."

Sam shows part of the scar following brain surgery

Sam had 33 sessions of radiotherapy after the surgery and is now going through 12 months of oral chemotherapy.

In an effort to help her stay positive, Sam set up her own Instagram page to document the day-to-day of living with incurable cancer and regularly shares inspiring messages of humour and hope to her followers.

This week she shared her most recent scan pictures of her tumour.

She said: "They say that my most recent scan is what they're looking for it to stay like for as long as possible before it changes and then they would need to look at a treatment plan again.

Sam shared pictures of her recent brain scans which show her tumour is shrinking.

Get the latest headlines sent straight to your inbox with our newsletter

Did you know you can keep up to date with the latest news by signing up to our daily newsletter?

We send a morning and lunchtime newsletter covering the latest headlines every day.

We also send coronavirus updates at 5pm on weekdays, and a round up of the week's must-read stories on Sunday afternoons.

Signing up is simple, easy and free.

You can pop your email address into the sign up box above, hit Subscribe and we'll do the rest.

Alternatively, you can sign up and check out the rest of our newsletters here.

"Many people with brain tumours have had multiple surgeries and radiotherapy and chemo sessions. It can even develop again while you are being treated. But I truly believe in the power of positivity alongside science."

Sam says while her girls are too young to fully understand the enormity of what is happening, she and husband Alan, 31, have found fun ways of explaining it, including giving them a bald barbie, who 'looks just like mummy'.

She said: "At first I was going to try and keep them away from it, but we quickly realised that would be impossible and because it's life long, it's best they know from a young age so it will become normality to them.

"If I need more treatment when they're older, they won't hear the C-word and be so horrified."

Sam posts positive messages on her Instagram page

Sam's brave decision to share her journey on Instagram has also made her feel proud to be raising awareness of the realities of her cancer battle.

She said: "Never did I ever imagine I would one be posting this on social media for all to see. But it was my decision to raise awareness.

"Be proud and show everyone, especially our kids, that everyone is different and everyone is beautiful in their own way, inside and out."

For now, Sam is looking on the bright side, even on the darkest days, thanks to the support from her family, friends, NHS staff and Instagram followers, she is finding the strength and determination to fight on.

The ice hockey shirts are being sold to raise money for cancer charities

She said: "It's a process you need to go through, grieving your old life and learning how to live the new one I suppose.

"I'm not an inspiration. My mum raised us on her own and she brought us up to be strong. I want to share the whole journey to raise awareness and show people how well you can do if you don't give up, so anyone who's going through the same or similar can look through my instagram and see that I've been there and now I'm here. It's not all dark days.

"I refuse to believe the prognosis I was given of two to three years. I am going to be the one that beats the odds."

Sam Gibson

SAM'S FUNDRAISER

Sam and husband Alan are backing a fundraiser in a bid to raise much-needed cash for cancer charities.

Sam was invited to help design ice hockey shirts which are on sale and some of the proceeds of every shirt bought will go to The Greig Steven Memorial, CLAN support and Friends of Anchor charities.

The fundraiser was set up by fellow cancer survivors and those affected by the disease, Martin Hill, Alison Greig and Ross Sangster.

How to keep up to date with our Parenting news

Whoever said parenting was easy was obviously lying. It can be such hard work! Luckily we now have a Facebook group for Scottish mums and dads to share their woes, worries and winning advice.

Whether you're a new parent looking for answers or simply want to let off steam about the price of school uniforms today, our Scottish Mums and Dads Facebook group is just the place. You can join here.

We also have a weekly Record Parenting newsletter filled with the latest news affecting mums and dads across Scotland as well as helpful tips. You can sign up here.

Sam said: "The ice hockey community is like one big family no matter your team! We have designed a charity shirt together and we are planning on promoting them as much as possible to raise as much funds as we can and a 3rd of the profits will go to the charities.

"Alan plays ice hockey and had played for Scotland but with family life he is now in a recreational team The Flyers, so that's our connection to hockey."

If you would like to buy a shirt visit the website here