A MUM prevented from climbing Mount Kilimanjaro to scatter the ashes of her inspirational daughter Alice Pyne by a series of setbacks spoke of her joy after finally reaching its summit in January 2017.

Alice touched the hearts of the nation by devising a bucket list after being diagnosed with terminal cancer at 13, and sadly died aged 17.

It was her desire that some of her ashes be scattered at the top of the Tanzanian mountain and 48-year-old Vicky, of Ulverston, Cumbria, vowed to fulfil her final wish.

But she made three failed attempts on the 6,000 metre mountain, which saw her struck down with sickness and conned by a fraudster.

So when Vicky did finally reached the top on January 16 – the anniversary of Alice’s death – she was overcome with emotion.

“I knew that Alice would have been so proud. I had finally been able to fulfil my promise to her.”

“We had to make sure we were stood in the right position, then I let go of Alice’s ashes and they were swept away with the wind.”

Vicky climbed the mountain with friend Jill MacTaggart, 50, during a seven day trek which saw temperatures drop to minus 15.

Amother mother spoke of her relief after a man saved the life of her choking son when the toddler started turning blue.

Nicki Lund was frozen with fear when one-year-old Jacob started struggling for breath in a McDonald’s restaurant in Hartlepool on January 28, 2017.

Luckily for the young mother, Army medic Glenn “Geordie” Kidman was sitting nearby and instantly took control of the medical emergency.

Ms Lund, 25, of Hartlepool, was out with her mother, Sharon, and sister Cheryl when her young son started choking.

“I have been first aid trained but I just froze,” said Ms Lund. “Jacob was turning blue and couldn’t breathe.

I was starting to panic but luckily Mr Kidman was there to help.

“He was just shouting ‘pass him to me’ and he managed to clear his airway – I really don’t know what would have happened if he hadn’t been there. He really did save Jacob’s life.”

A family whose newborn baby’s life was saved by a specialist hospital unit raised more than £6,600 to say thank you, on January 26, 2017.

Nine-month-old Harper Rose was given a clean bill of health after two weeks of agonising worry for her parents when she was treated in the paediatric intensive care unit (PICU) at the Great North Children’s Hospital in Newcastle in May last year.

First-time parents Laura and Patrick Boyd said she was the “most perfect baby any parents could wish for” when she was born on May 14 last year, weighing 7lbs 3oz.

But after they brought her home to Billingham, Teesside, the newborn was not feeding well and vomiting, and at four days old became limp and lifeless, having multiple seizures.

She was rushed by ambulance to the University Hospital of North Tees in Stockton, where she was found to be severely dehydrated.

Mr Boyd said: “They couldn’t control her fits and so eventually decided to incubate and ventilate her, transferring her to the Great North Children’s Hospital at the RVI in Newcastle.”

She was sedated for a week while medical staff worked to identify the cause of her illness, and she was diagnosed with a bowel defect, which meant she was not absorbing any fluids or nutrients.

Mr Boyd said: "Harper’s time in the PICU was a rollercoaster. But, despite her prognosis looking very poor on a number of occasions, the amazing staff at GNCH were able to identify and treat Harper’s illness within two weeks."

Keep up to date with all the latest news on our website, or follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

You can also follow our dedicated County Durham Facebook page for all the latest in the area by clicking here.

For all the top news updates from right across the region straight to your inbox, sign up to our newsletter here.

Have you got a story for us? Contact our newsdesk on newsdesk@nne.co.uk or contact 01325 505054