A woman whose father was diagnosed with terminal cancer says giving him her breast milk to drink added an extra year to his life.

Helen Fitzsimmons, 40, expressed and froze her baby son's milk for her father Arthur, who was suffering from myeloma cancer and prostate cancer, The Mirror reported.

She even enlisted a breastfeeding friend to donate her milk, too.

Ms Fitzsimmons, from Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, had read numerous studies that found breast milk can boost the immune system and after speaking with her father, they decided it was worth trying.

The 73-year-old began drinking 2fl oz of breast milk a day and Fitzsimmons said that almost immediately his protein levels stopped rising.

She said when her father added an extra 1fl oz donated by her friend, his protein levels actually began to decrease.

Her father died in Easter last year, 16 months after first drinking the breast milk.

Despite the sceptical attitude of doctors, the mother of two believes the milk added an extra 12 months to his life.

Ms Fitzsimmons said the method "may all seem a bit odd to others" but said it was a "privilege" to offer her father hope.

"My hope now is that one day doctors embrace alternative therapies and treat them with the legitimacy they deserve," she added.

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