MOTHER-OF-ONE Janet Sergeant, 51, has been visiting the centre for doses of chemotherapy and check-ups for a year, since she was diagnosed with breast cancer.

Mrs Sergeant, a nurse from Kirkby, says the surroundings make the ordeal more bearable. She had surgery last June and started having chemotherapy in July. She has also been taking the anti-cancer drug Herceptin.

She said: “The centre is absolutely brilliant. The treatment has been first rate. The whole experience, from being diagnosed to treated, is very traumatic, so to be in a comfortable environment really makes a difference.

“I was so blasé at first; I thought just get rid of it.

“Despite being a nurse, I did not think about what was to follow.”

After treatment, Mrs Sergeant became ill and was in hospital three times, once catching the MRSA superbug. She says it was the level of care that kept her going.

She has now returned to work part time at Aintree Hospital and has finished chemotherapy.

She added: “My husband, Mark, and daughter, Amy, have helped me through and have been amazing. It is a battle, but you get through it. A centre such as this helps you on that journey.”