YOUNG mother Helen Ralston died from a rare form of cancer six months after giving birth to her first child, Katie.

Mrs Ralston, 29, of Abbey Meads, was a receptionist at the Marlborough doctors' surgery, and had intended to leave written messages for Katie to read when she was old enough.

But the virulent cancer of the thymus gland ended her life even sooner than doctors expected, robbing her of the chance to put in writing some of the things she wanted to say to the child she would never see grow up.

Mrs Ralston, who was known as Nell, and her husband, Stefan, a Honda worker, agreed that Katie should be induced six weeks early so that her mother could be given chemotherapy.

Mrs Ralston's mother, Ruth Marchant, said her daughter had started chemotherapy while she was carrying Katie but had decided with Stefan on an early birth to avoid any risk to their child.

Symptoms of Mrs Ralston's illness were at first thought to be related to the pregnancy that had so delighted her and Stefan.

But it was later discovered that she had cancer of the thymus, a small gland in the throat which plays an important part in foetal development but has little function in adults.

Mrs Ralston decided to write the messages for Katie after being told by doctors that her illness was terminal. She died at the Churchill Hospital in Oxford last Tuesday.

Mrs Marchant, who lives in Pewsham, Chippenham, said: "She could not leave anything in writing but she was able to tell Stefan where she wanted her things to go and what should be kept for Katie."

Until her marriage, Mrs Ralston lived with her mother in Marlborough, then moved to Abbey Meads with her husband but continued to work at the Marlborough surgery during her pregnancy.

Her funeral was on Wednesday at the Kingsdown Crematorium.

Mr Ralston is planning to return to work at Honda for the time being, while Katie is looked after by his parents Jody and Beate Ralston.