A NEW mum, suffering from cancer, wants to publicly thank a man who came to her rescue after she broke down on the way to hospital for her first bout of treatment.

Michelle Palser, 35, of Hockley, was diagnosed with bone marrow cancer in November after a routine blood test just after giving birth.

She was due to have her first round of chemotherapy on Monday at Southend Hospital and decided to take her mum Pat, 61, along for support, leaving her baby in the care of family.

They were on their way when her car suddenly broke down in Nestuda Way, Southend.

Pat, who lives in Rochford, said: “We were both anxious anyway as it had been a real shock when Michelle was diagnosed.

“We both started panicking when the car broke down.

“It didn’t help that it broke down on the road between the two roundabouts and on quite a busy part of the carriageway too.

“We were both in such a state, worried she would miss her appointment.

“We tried to call a taxi to take her there, but we were so worried we couldn’t remember any taxi numbers. It wasn’t nice.”

Luckily, their “knight in shining armour” came to the rescue after driving past and sensing a problem.

The man - who they know only as Ben - spotted the two women in distress and pulled over to see if he could help.

Pat said: “As soon as he pulled over I just burst in to tears. “He must have thought we were mad.

“We were just so pleased that someone would stop to help us.”

Ben immediately agreed to give Michelle a lift to the hospital so she could make her appointment, while Pat stayed with the car to try and get it recovered.

She got cut off after trying to call the AA due to bad phone signal, only to find Ben had returned to help her anyway.

In their anxious state about the hospital appointment, Michelle had simply forgotten to fill up with fuel and the car had virtually run out of petrol.

Ben, who lives in Southend, instantly stepped in again, taking Pat to the nearest petrol station and filling up a container which they then filled the car with.

He even followed behind Pat as she drove to the hospital, making sure she got there safely and she made it just in time for her daughter’s appointment.

Pat said: “When we got there I gave him a cuddle so then, if he didn’t before, he really must have thought I was mad!

“I was just so grateful to him.

“I told him his parents would be really proud of him.

“You read about people doing good deeds like this, but you don’t think they would happen to you.

“We just wanted to thank him publicly for what he did to help us.

“We kept laughing about what had happened all the way through the chemotherapy session which made it easier too.”

Pat insisted Ben took some money for his trouble, but he said it was fine.

As Michelle’s cancer was caught in an early stage, the prognosis for Michelle is good - but she is facing five months of chemotherapy.