DESPERATE friends are hoping to raise enough cash to send a terminally ill mum home to see her family one last time.

Areej Altai was diagnosed with secondary breast cancer in February this year.

Now it has spread to her bones, lymphatic system and lungs. Doctors have given her just weeks to live.

Now Areej's friends are trying to raise £56,538 to pay for a medical flight to get her home to Iraq, where son Ali, eight, and husband Ahmed are now living.

But they need to raise the cash urgently - so that Areej has a chance of saying goodbye to her family - and little Ali can see his mum one last time.

Friend Deborah Fulcher Cornah said: "Due to visa and sponsorship issues, her husband and eight year old son had to return to Iraq a few weeks ago. I am trying to raise funds to pay for a medical flight home so she can be with them and her wider family, having explored and exhausted all other options.

"Areej has been in the UK since 2013, studying for a PhD in linguistics at the University of Southampton, along with her husband Ahmed.

"Ali has been at Highfield school since Year R. They were sponsored to be in the UK for 5 years until September.

"Areej is one of the kindest people I know. She is hopeful and faithful and optimistic. She is a really good laugh and her hospitality is boundless. She has become more than a good friend - she is like a dear sister to me."

If the community can raise the cash Areej would be flown home on a medical flight, hooked up to oxygen and travelling with a nurse.

A Southampton University spokesperson said: "We’re currently discussing what level of support we can provide especially in light of the urgency of Arij’s situation."

To donate go to https://www.gofundme.com/medical-flight-to-get-areej-home?fbclid=IwAR3GhptR6UtBlYTHAt_U4KZHxf9nKp7Da2qwRcwLYKlvbTsCOQFzjqf7uH0