A mum diagnosed with a brain tumour after she collapsed and stopped breathing in front of her horrified daughters while on holiday abroad has returned home and had life-saving surgery.

Helen West, who lives in Stotfold, was on holiday in Turkey with her daughters Lucy and Marie when the horror unfolded.

"She had a seizure, stopped breathing and required us to perform CPR," Lucy said. "She was taken to the nearest hospital, where CT and MRI scans showed she has a glioblastoma - an aggressive form of brain cancer.

"We were told she required urgent neurosurgery to remove the tumour and that the local hospitals did not have the level of knowledge to carry out the procedure."

Helen. who is 54 years old, spent five days in intensive care in a Turkish hospital before being repatriated to the UK via an air ambulance, with a team of doctors travelling with her to keep her alive. Once back in the UK, the mum-of-four was transferred to a specialist neurological centre.

Lucy, who lives in Baldock, said: "Unfortunately, due to broken ribs from CPR, we had to wait for some improvement in her chest before the neurosurgery could take place."

Happily, however, Helen has now had the life-saving neurosurgery to remove the tumour and is recovering well, surrounded by her family.

"After a very long month, our mum has finally been discharged home," Lucy said. "We are all very grateful to have her home and so proud of all that she has achieved in just a short week post-surgery.

"The surgery went as well as we could have hoped, and she is now resting and recovering."

A Go Fund Me page has been set up to help pay the repatriation costs - which were only partly covered by Helen's travel insurance - and for support for Helen on her road to recovery. So far, more than £4,000 has been raised.

Lucy said: "Mum is active on the page and sees all your kind words of support and your donations. We would like to thank everyone for their generosity and support. We appreciate every one of you."

If you would like to make a donation, you can do so via gofundme.com/f/help-for-helens-glioblastoma-treatment.