Terminally-ill Plymouth mum passes driving test despite crash

A TERMINALLY-ILL mum has achieved her dream of learning how to drive – despite a crash on the eve of her test.

Lucy Johns, aged 30, passed the exam after a driving instructor stepped forward to provide free lessons.

Now the mother-of-two can look forward to driving her son to school.

Lucy overcame her nerves to pass the test despite a car crashing into the back of her instructor's vehicle the night before.

Kind-hearted Andy Roberts was giving her an extra lesson because the session earlier that day had gone badly.

But a woman drove into the back of his car as Lucy waited at some traffic lights.

Lucy said: "It was horrendous. It was not a good time for it to happen. I was so nervous for my test I did not think I would pass.

"I am so excited now. I wanted to get this so much, but I did not think I would."

Lucy, from Weston Mill, was diagnosed with breast cancer two years ago.

It has now spread to her bones and liver and is classed as Stage Four Terminal, meaning there is no cure.

Lucy, who can't walk very far due to severe back pain caused by the cancer in her bones, appealed for help from driving instructors in The Herald back in November.

Lucy and husband Pete, who works full time at the Dockyard, said they were unable to afford to pay for lessons.

And at least four instructors got in contact – including Andy.

He gave Lucy about 45 hours of lessons over two hours each time, from Monday to Friday.

Lucy said: "I have never met anyone as nice as him, doing something for nothing like that.

"He is just an average person and it was amazing he went out of the way to help me, losing the money he must have lost."

Lucy, mum to two-year-old Lillie-Lou, said her six-year-old son Stanley was "over the moon" that she could start driving.

She is due to do the school run this week with a borrowed family car.

And Lucy is going to be given a new car in the next four weeks under the Motability scheme.

Andy, from Southway, said he was a little worried she would not take her test after the accident.

He added: "Lucy did really well. She was a bit shook up and a lot of people would not have got back into the car, especially learners.

"We were waiting at the lights with the handbrake on and there was a bang and a car went into the back of us. My car has a couple of scratches and a dent in the bumper, but you can still drive it, which is the main thing.

"She is a lovely girl and we got on really well."

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