A mother told she had terminal cancer by doctors who ignored her pleas for help 13 times has made a miracle recovery following the UK's first operation of its kind. Ruth McDonagh was repeatedly turned away by medics over the course of two years despite suffering from the classic symptoms of bowel cancer. By the time it was diagnosed, she was told she had just 18 months left to live as a huge tumour in her bowel had grown so large it was almost inoperable. Her only option was a £100,000 operation only available in the US which was certain to leave her paralysed from the waist down. But at the eleventh hour a team of UK doctors trained in the American technique agreed to carry out Ruth's surgery in a 13-hour operation never before carried out in this country.
SWIMMING next to 40 tonne whales, dare-devil divers take the plunge with these gentle giants of the sea .
Sam Notaro built his own flood defences to protect his four-bedroom home in Moorland, Somerset Flooding is likely to get worse around Somerset as groundwater levels continue to rise .
At first glance it might look like someone has taken their revenge on the makers of those infuriating insurance ads .
CREATED over 60 years ago, this weighty machine was the Photoshop of its time .
This may look like a monster car engine that will leave petrol heads in a spin, but it is in fact a rather snazzy looking COFFEE MACHINE .
WEARING tiny Christmas accessories, these adorable babies get into the spirit of the season .
NATURE PAPARAZZIS prove you don't have to be Justin Bieber or Cheryl Cole to attract a pack of photographers .
Balanced on one leg, a frog assumes the crane kick martial arts stance made famous in the movie The Karate Kid .
COURAGEOUS climbers descend 400 metres as they manoeuvre their way through thick walls of ice .
A baby sperm whale assumed the role of a friendly giant when faced with two awestruck divers .
From vibrant blues to dazzling oranges, these eye catching hummingbirds proudly show off their impressive colours .
SQUEEZING their furry faces through a hole in a tree, a trio of curious baby squirrels leave their nest for the first time to explore their surroundings .