A WEALTHY American author pledged to pick up the bill for a Hampshire woman Debbie Munro's cancer drug - and treated her family to a fairytale weekend in London.

Top crime writer Patricia Cornwell contacted the family after reading how 44-year-old advanced colon cancer patient Debbie and her husband John had been forced to sell their home to raise funds to give her a chance of life.

They are now having to find £2,200 every three weeks to pay for a new "wonder drug" called Avastin, which is licensed for use in the UK, but not yet widely available on the NHS.

The Munros were picked up from New Milton by limousine on Friday morning and whisked off to London to meet Ms Cornwell - who also happens to be Debbie's favourite author.

The couple and their children, 23-year-old Holly, 17-year-old Tamzin and 10-year-old Callum, were put up for two nights in a pair of riverside suites at the luxurious Savoy Hotel, where Ms Cornwell had been staying while researching her new book.

"It was just fabulous," said John. "We had the driver all weekend to take us all wherever we wanted to go. We were given £1,000 spending money and we just frittered it away. We haven't frittered money for so long, but that was what she wanted us to do."

Ms Cornwell, who is giving £30,000 to fund Debbie's treatment for the next eight months, spent around half an hour with her before leaving to catch a flight back to the US. "They talked about books. Deb's read every book she's written, apart from the Jack the Ripper one. It was great to see Deb's face," said John.

He added that the weekend had given the whole family a boost. "The Savoy was £2,900 a night, but even if I had been paying for it, it would have been worth every penny," said John.

Ms Cornwell said: "Debbie has been through so much that I was delighted to lighten her load. I didn't think I would ever be in a position of having a lot of money, but now that I do, I want to give when I can."

Debbie said: "Patricia has been so kind and considerate. What she has done is take a huge worry off my shoulders that will allow me to concentrate all my energies on fighting my cancer."

She initially sought treatment in the USA after doctors in East Anglia, where she used to live, told her there was nothing more they could do. She started on Avastin in the States and returned to England after the drug was licensed for use in the UK.

At the moment, however, most primary care trusts are not funding the drug because it has not yet been approved by the National Institute of Clinical Excellence.

The hope is that Avastin will shrink Debbie's cancer enough for her to undergo surgery on her colon. Although the disease has spread to her liver, surgeons in the US are prepared to carry out a transplant using part of Debbie's twin sister Bridget's liver.

First published: August 9