A mother who risked her life by refusing an abortion has given birth to healthy twins. Twenty-five-year-old Holley Tierney was diagnosed with Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma when she was 23 weeks pregnant and was subsequently advised by doctors to terminate her pregnancy. The dance teacher went to A & E after suffering intense chest pain and tests later found the cancerous mass.

#HolleyTierney who refused abortion after getting cancer gives birth to twins https://t.co/IoyfUOTLYN pic.twitter.com/pn14ymenlo

— Jennifer Jones (@HernandezCaryn) November 12, 2015

Doctors advised that in order to start chemotherapy they would need to abort the pregnancy, an option the Manchester lady refused as her babies had already started to kick. The twins grew stronger and Holley gave birth at 29 weeks. She said: "It was the happiest day of my life when my babies were delivered safely, it was definitely a risk worth taking, all I cared about was their health.

"I couldn't believe I was facing cancer while pregnant, it was my worst nightmare.

"I knew there was no way I could terminate my pregnancy when I felt them kick, my maternal instincts had already kicked in."

Holley explained that doctors initially put her pain down to a pulled muscle.

She said: "I'm a dance teacher and that day I had carried a sound system so I figured the pain was due to that, but because I was pregnant I decided to get checked out at hospital.

"I'm so thankful to the doctor in A&E that pushed for me to have an X-ray and CT scan as I was just about to be sent home with a pulled muscle, he has saved my life."

Holley described her feelings on meeting her babies for the first time:

"Seeing them for the first time was the best feeling in the world, I couldn't believe they were mine.

"But it was bittersweet as I kept thinking I would never have chance to watch them grow up."

Holley has just one round of chemotherapy and starts a course of radiotherapy in the new year, and hopes her story will inspire other women to be vigilant about symptoms when they're pregnant.