A BRAVE mum turned health campaigner - who spent the last few months of her life urging people to quit smoking and live longer - has lost her battle with lung cancer.

Michelle Barthram, 48, from Birtley, died a year after being diagnosed with small-cell lung cancer caused by years of smoking.

Up until her death, she was determined to help others quit and worked with Fresh as part of its hard-hitting 'Don’t Be The 1' campaign in 2014 to share her story of how cigarettes had cut her life short. Thousands viewed her video on YouTube.

Michelle quit smoking immediately after being diagnosed but by that time it was too late. She hoped her story would help spare others the pain of losing someone to smoking.

According to her wishes and, with her family’s permission, Michelle’s final plea urging smokers to stop is part of a moving film released by the North-East tobacco control office, Fresh.

Having completed six months of chemotherapy and radiotherapy treatment, she died on September 27 at Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Gateshead. She leaves behind husband Steven, daughter Natasha and her dog, Max.

Lisa Surtees, acting director of Fresh, said: “Michelle’s story touched so many people and we are incredibly thankful to her and her family for supporting our 'Don’t Be The 1' campaign and helping others to quit. Our thoughts are with them during this difficult time and we hope they take comfort from the fact her story inspired many people to stop.”

Dr Fiona McDonald from Newcastle Hospital Trusts, said: “I treated Michelle for her lung cancer, together with the team at the Queen Elizabeth hospital. We were all saddened by her recent death. Michelle took the brave step to share her story in order to highlight the damage which smoking can do, and her story illustrates the tragic consequences which smoking can have. About 10 -15 per cent of lung cancers are small cell lung cancers. This type of lung cancer tends to spread quickly.

Smoking is the biggest preventable cause of death causing over a dozen types of cancer, heart disease, stroke and COPD resulting in around 5,500 deaths in the region every year.

Yet, despite one in two long term smokers dying early, nine out of 10 smokers seriously underestimate the risks.