DONNA Rose is determined to survive cancer for the fourth time so she can cradle her children again.

The 27-year-old mother-of-three from Liden discovered she had a rare form of cancer just one week after suffering a miscarriage last month.

She said: "Losing my baby was a devastating blow. Then the real bombshell dropped I had cancer again."

Her three children, Freya, six, Aja, five, and Finley, two, think their mother has a bad tummy because they are too young to understand her real illness. And Donna is forbidden from lifting them for a hug in case the strain causes her to bleed to death.

Donna was first diagnosed with thyroid cancer at the age of 22 and has been plagued by the disease on two further occasions.

Following surgery to remove tumours in her neck last May, she hoped her plight was over.

"After countless operations, I really believed I had conquered it," she said.

But her nightmare returned three weeks ago when she was two months pregnant and started bleeding heavily.

Doubled up in pain, Donna was rushed to Princess Margaret Hospital, where a scan revealed she had miscarried.

Doctors were baffled by her extraordinarily high hormone readings that indicated she should still be pregnant.

"I was known as the 'mystery girl' because my hormone levels were sky high and nobody could fathom why," she said.

Her Human Chorionic Gonadotrophin readings topped 44,000 against an average of around four for someone who is not expecting. By examining the placenta, these results serve as a pregnancy test.

Feeling perfectly fit, Donna was allowed home but returned to hospital every other day for blood tests.

A week later she was examined by a senior gynaecologist, who referred her to Charing Cross Hospital in London.

It was here that a radiographer told Donna she had a hydatidiform mole a cancerous growth in her womb, caused by abnormal fertilisation of the egg.

The odds of developing this cancer are one in 12,000, but doctors say Donna's chances of survival are good.

Donna said: "Experts claim it's a good cancer to have because the treatment has a high success rate, especially if you catch it early. So I'm positive about the future and believe I can beat it."

She has just embarked on a gruelling five-month course of chemotherapy and dedicates her fighting spirit to her parents, Norma and Alan, and close friends, Ali Hooper and Theresa Hobbs.

"Without their support, I wouldn't be feeling so well. I'm very lucky and just grateful to be alive," she said.

The Advertiser helped Donna find funding for a childminder when she was receiving treatment for thyroid cancer in December, 1997.

Swindon Lions Club stepped into the breach and offered a £240 grant to pay for childcare while she underwent radiotherapy at Churchill Hospital, Oxford.

Today Donna is staying with her mother, Norma, in Shaw, who helps to look after the children.

Donna said: "Mum is my lifesaver. She keeps my darlings entertained if I'm too tired."

And she also paid tribute to her husband, Gary, 27, who is busy building her a new kitchen.

With unflinching optimism, Donna describes her situation as a minor setback.

"I've beaten it before, so there's no reason why I can't do it again," she insisted.

Although she still has all her hair and is feeling fine, she cannot go out in crowded places due to the risk of catching infections.

Drinking alcohol and strenuous activity is also banned.

She said: "I hate being virtually housebound. It's so exasperating not being able to do the chores like dusting and vacuuming."

But the most heart-breaking restriction for Donna is being unable to pick up her children for a cuddle.

"I can still play with them, yet long to hold them in my arms again. With a bit of luck, I'll be better soon and back holding my family together," she added.

Mole pregnancies the risks to mums

Mole pregnancies occur at around one per 1,000 registered births in the UK.

Special tests are done after mole pregnancies due to the risk of mole tissue persisting in the uterus and spreading.

In 90 per cent of women the tests return to the normal range with no further problems.

But for the remaining 10 per cent, tests will show that the mole is not dying out and requires treatment, usually given at Charing Cross Hospital.

This normally results in a complete cure with no loss of fertility. The chance of another mole occurring is very low one in 74. But tests continue for a period of six months or two years.

Doctors should always be consulted before trying for another baby.

Oral contraceptives (The Pill) or other hormonal preparations should be avoided until blood and urine tests return to normal.