I was told I have three years to live - six years later I'm still ticking off my goals

Roisin Pelan, 42, was diagnosed with breast cancer in May 2014 and was given just three years to live in January 2018.

Having defied the odds to survive her prognosis, Roisin created a "living list" of everything she wanted to do before she died.

She says she hates the idea of a bucket list and a living list was a "much more fun idea".

Despite ticking a number of goals off, she's still got "lots" she wants to do - including "manifesting an Oasis reunion so I can go to their gig".

She hopes to camp in a treehouse, go to New York at Christmas and swim in Bora Bora.

Roisin, a small business owner from Preston, said: "I made a 'living list' after I was diagnosed - it’s so much more fun than a bucket list.

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"I've managed to tick so much stuff off already - I can’t even remember everything.

"I wrote a children's book, I trekked the Alps, the Highlands and in Yorkshire.

"I helped to form a charity with 20 others - there are only 13 of us now.

"I've got my list on the wall.

"I'm really into manifestation and things like that at the minute - so I made it a vision board."

Roisin was first diagnosed with secondary breast cancer on May 26, 2014 - and was told by her oncologist it was incurable.

At the time, she was pregnant with her first child, Ivy, 10.

Over the course of ten years, Roisin's had over 60 rounds of chemotherapy - and has taken five types of medication like vinorelbine and paclitaxel.

She also believes herbal remedies - like vitamin B12, CBD oil and spirulina have helped her physical and mental health.

At the time of her diagnosis, Roisin and her husband, Michael, 39, an illustrator, were already planning on adopting a second child.

But her oncologist couldn’t give social services clearance until he was more confident in her prognosis.

"We'd been approved to adopt before I was diagnosed," she said.

"We were waiting to match, but after my cancer was confirmed, the oncologist said it wasn't going to be possible.

"All my treatment happened - carboplatin, taxotere, paclitaxel, surgery and radio therapy.

"I did all I could to help myself naturally with herbal remedies, including hyperbaric chamber therapy - which felt like being in a submarine."

In May 2019, five years after diagnosis, Roisin was transferred to a different oncologist, who was pleased with her progress.

Social services were given clearance to let Roisin and Michael adopt - and she found out while hiking Rivington Pike hill.

She said: "I was walking up a mountain, when social services rang.

"I couldn’t hear them properly and I ran all the way down - just so I could hear them say they were approving me for adoption."

Roisin brought six-month-old Bill home in September 2019, and continued writing her "living list".

In the five years since, Roisin has completed a number of her goals - her favourite being the small business she started, Fighty Pants, a gift shop for people with cancer.

With her condition being incurable, Roisin will never be able to finish her chemotherapy.

But her cancer status is "no evidence of disease" - which means her illness is well under control.

As long as she's able to "thrive", she fully intends to complete her list, which is expanding every day.

"I started a little business, aimed at people going through cancer treatment," she said.

"I wrote a children’s book - called ‘Shiny Happy Horace’.

“We’ve done a road trip to the south of France.

“But I still want to road trip around Canada and New Zealand in an RV.

“I want to take the glass train in Switzerland - and I’m trying to manifest Oasis to get back together so I can go to their reunion gig.

“It’s wonderful to still be doing so well.”

Roisin's 'living list' - things she's done:

Starting a small business

Writing a children’s book

Road trip to the south of France

A 100k trek through the Highlands - led by Emma Willis for Coppafeel

Tour de Mont Blanc

Hiking through Yorkshire

Forming a charity for people with secondary breast cancer

Crowdsurfing with Pete Wicks

Roisin's 'living list' - things left to do:

Swim in Bora Bora

Drive through Canada and New Zealand in an RV

Go to New York at Christmas time

Take a glass train through Switzerland

Camping in a treehouse

Watching Oasis in concert