A TRAGIC mum died from a brain tumour — just 11 months after she underwent a double lung transplant.

Anne Slevin was aged just 52 when she was diagnosed with lymphoma of the brain in August.

The former social worker and care worker spent nine weeks in hospital before losing her fight for life on October 1.

She was featured in The Bolton News in 2012 after undergoing a successful double lung transplant to treat her emphysema, which had been caused by 30 years of smoking.

The transplant gave her a new lease of life.

Mrs Slevin, from Breightmet, was forced to use a wheelchair and needed oxygen 24 hours a day but, following the surgery, she was able to run around with her grandchildren.

Her daughter, Gemma Luke, aged 29, said: “She was very grateful to get that extra time with her grandchildren and she certainly made the most of it.” Natalie Luke, aged 27, Mrs Slevin’s younger daughter, added: “She recovered really quickly from the transplant. Within a month she was home and running off to Morrisons, we were like ‘wow, slow down’, but we couldn’t stop her.”

Unfortunately, it is thought the anti-rejection drugs Ms Slevin was taking following her transplant may have left her more susceptible to the cancer she developed because the medication weakens the body’s immune system.

Natalie said her mother was unlucky, adding: “A lot of people who have transplants do tend to get some form of cancer, but it’s usually a few years down the line and not often as aggressive as this was.

“But she was very strong and took it all in her stride.”

Speaking after her transplant last year, Mrs Slevin said she felt she had been given a “second chance at life” and wanted to warn people to listen to health concerns linked with smoking.

Natalie said: “It did all stem from smoking. Emphysema is genetic in our family, but the smoking definitely adds to the chances.”

Mrs Slevin was the youngest of four siblings but “always managed to have the last word”, according to her daughters.

Natalie said: “She was bubbly, loving and feisty.” Gemma added: “She developed a great sense of humour and we were still laughing and joking with her until the day she died.”