A mother-of-four with breast cancer has turned down conventional treatment and instead plans to cure her illness through a combination of healthy eating, bitter almonds and purified water.

Sarah Valentine, 36, of Bethersden, Kent, was offered either a full mastectomy or a lumpectomy and radiotherapy on the NHS - but she has defied medical advice by declining both options.

Instead, she has overhauled her diet to eliminate meat and dairy.

Sarah, whose cable jointer boyfriend, Richard, 35, backs her decision, knows some people will think she is making a mistake - but she is adamant her decision is the right one.

'I'm a mum to four children - Jesse, 15, Poppy, five Teddy, four, Billy, one,' she said. 'They are my priority and I am not irresponsible.

Sarah Valentine, 36, has defied medical advice by refusing surgery to treat her cancer

Sarah with her three eldest children - Teddy in Jesse's arms, and Poppy to Sarah's left - on holiday in Spain in August 2014

Sarah with her youngest son, Billy, pictured here aged eight months old, in July 2016

'This is not a diet, it is life and death.

'I think by feeding my body good things, it will have an impact. I've done a lot of scientific research into it.'

Make-up artist Sarah was diagnosed with cancer after she noticed an indentation on her left breast, as she danced naked in front of her 60-year-old mum Annie Herbert's mirror in Bermondsey, south London, on December 3 last year.

Sarah, is now following an alkaline-based vegan diet – believing it will give her the best chance of beating the disease, which has previously affected several members of her family.

The area of her breast where Sarah had a biopsy on 22 December 2016

Sarah with her mum, Annie. She first noticed the indentation in her breast while at Annie's home in December

Family fun: (Clockwise from top left) Jesse, Teddy, Poppy, Billy and Sarah, at home in October 2016

SARAH'S DIET PLAN By slashing acidic products, meats and even grains from her daily menu, a typical meal for her now comprises seeds and vegetables. She also plans to buy a costly vitamin C and sodium sultanate drip, to boost her intake and regularly takes iodine supplements and snacks on bitter almonds, a source of vitamin B17. Sarah also takes Golden Paste – a product made up of turmeric powder, water, oil and pepper – daily and has invested in a £300 water filter, which she attached to her tap, to purify all her water. Advertisement

And she hopes her extreme measures will reverse the progress of her currently stage 1 cancer, which is made up of two tumours measuring 2.1cm by 1.7cm and 1cm by 1cm.

'If it doesn't work, I will reconsider my options, but at this stage I am trying this,' she said.

Sarah also believes that surgery could damage her health.

She continued: 'I think I stand a better chance doing this than having a mastectomy straight away.

'I believe if I had a mastectomy I would be dead within 10 years. This is about healing my body back to health.

'I'm 100% sure that my cancer is emotional.

'I've been dealt some really terrible hands in my 36 years, but that's all in the past and I'd really like to show the Big C the door.'

Sarah with her daughter, Teddy, in December 2016, the same month her cancer was diagnosed

Sarah and her teenage son Jesse celebrating her 36th birthday in February 2016

Sarah's diet was never bad. She would eat free-range eggs, well-sourced meat and good quality butter.

Additionally, she was careful not to take hormones in tablets or her food and favoured natural products.

'I used bicarbonate of soda instead of deodorant, never had any hormones in pharmaceuticals or food, ate healthily and breastfed all my children,' she said. 'I couldn't believe that I got ill.'

Sarah discovered her lump after stepping out of the shower and dancing in front of the mirror.

Sarah just after giving birth to her son Billy, on 22 November 2015

Sarah at a friend's wedding, with Billy, aged eight months, in July 2016

'I thought I'd lost weight, so was dancing around a bit,' she explained. 'It was then I noticed the lump.' Two days later, on December 5, she headed to her GP, who referred her to the breast clinic.

On December 19, at Buckland Hospital in Dover, Kent, a doctor examined her and, concerned, referred her to Kent and Canterbury Hospital, Canterbury, for an ultrasound, needle biopsy and mammogram.

But it was not until December 30 at William Harvey Hospital in Ashford, Kent, that her cancer was confirmed.

'I knew already,' she recalled. 'As soon as I saw the indentation and felt a lump I realised.'

Sarah with her son Jesse, in August 2016

Sarah kissing her daughter Teddy, with Billy (in the middle), at a parent and child rave, in September 2016

Sadly, this is not the first time Sarah has been affected by cancer.

Close family members have had it and her childhood friend, professional footballer Ernie Cooksey, died in 2008, aged 27, after battling skin cancer.

'Maybe my experience of the illness has made it easier for me to cope,' she said. 'I've seen people go through chemotherapy and be very ill as a result.

'And I've heard about others having mastectomies and still not surviving.'

Now Sarah is speaking out to make people aware that breast cancer can affect anyone and that a lump is just one sign. She hopes to get #Shakeyourtits – a hashtag encouraging people to examine their breasts for changes including lumps, indentions, changes to the skin and bumps – trending.

She said: 'We should all be shaking, massaging, feeling our way around to spot any changes in our breasts as soon as possible.'

Sarah also needs £30,000 to fund her natural treatment.

'I need to get vitamin C drips, supplements, a water distiller, thermo imaging to check tumour shrinkage and hormone-testing reports,' she said.

If you would like to help Sarah, please visit her GoFundMe page.