A mother of two young daughters who is battling stage four lung cancer has been overwhelmed by the astonishing response of the farming community in Pembrokeshire and beyond since her family launched a fundraising campaign for the medical department where she is receiving treatment.

Dairy farmer’s wife Nia James, whose husband Daniel farms with his father, NFU Cymru president, Stephen James, and mother Joyce, near Narberth, was diagnosed with the disease on July 5.

Although her cancer is not curable, it is treatable and she is receiving ground-breaking therapy at Ward 10, Withybush Hospital, as the first cancer patient in Pembrokeshire to receive a new drug recently approved by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE).

In the weeks since Nia’s devastating diagnosis, a focus for her family, in particular her sister-in-law Alice James in her capacity as Pembrokeshire YFC county chairman, has been to raise funds for Ward 10. Less than seven weeks after that diagnosis, the total exceeds £25,000.

The biggest contributor to this sum was a recent YFC It’s a Knockout tournament at Clerkenhill Farm, near Haverfordwest, organised by Alice.

That event provoked an incredible response. “I have said from day one that the support of the farming community is far stronger than any other community in the world,’’ says Nia’s husband, Daniel.

“There were 30 adult and five junior teams taking part in the tournament, it really brought the community together and cost very little to put on which meant that the maximum amount of money possible could be raised for Ward 10.

“I can’t begin to describe the gratitude we have felt as a family for the kindness and generosity of family, friends and the wider community. And we are extremely grateful to Alice for organising the event, she did a tremendous job.’’

A silent auction alone raised £10,000 and there have been many donations to the Just Giving page justgiving.com/crowdfunding/pembsyfc2017.

Nia, a procurement manager at Dunbia, Llanybydder, had been training for the Moonwalk in Edinburgh to raise money for breast cancer charities when she first became unwell.

Blood tests and scans didn’t detect the cancer initially – at first it was thought she might be suffering from TB – but a second biopsy confirmed lung cancer. As a lifelong non-smoker and aged just 37, the diagnosis was devastating and completely unexpected.

The fundraising has been an important focus for Nia and Daniel and their young daughters, 10-year-old Lili, and Cadi, aged seven.

“There was a pig roast and music after the It’s A Knockout and Lily and Cadi enjoyed partying until very late that night!’’ says Daniel.