Viewers watching last night's episode of Hospital on BBC Two praised a pregnant cancer patient's bravery and heaped tributes on staff in a women's hospital.
The programme's third episode followed staff and patients at Liverpool Women's Hospital as it continues to show behind the scenes of the city's NHS.
One woman, known only as Kate, was dealt a bombshell diagnosis while pregnant, when she was told her breast cancer had returned and spread to her bones.
On Twitter, people watching the moving documentary called the mother 'brave and inspiring', 'incredible' and said they were left in tears at the story.
'Tonight we witnessed how powerful a mother's love can be,' one added.
Kate, who was first diagnosed with breast cancer in 2008 and had both her breasts removed to get rid of the disease, was pregnant with her second daughter, Katie-Hope, when she was told the cancer had returned and was incurable
Kate faced the heartbreaking decision of whether to terminate her pregnancy and receive the most effective cancer treatment or have less effective therapy but save her baby – she chose the latter and Katie-Hope was delivered by c-section six weeks early
Kate, already a mother to one daughter, had a double mastectomy years earlier to get rid of breast cancer which struck while she was in her 20s in 2008.
Now 10 years since she was first diagnosed, Kate had waited more than five years to start the family she and her husband, Glen, wanted so she could finish a course of drugs to prevent the cancer returning.
Having already had one child, Kate was expecting her second daughter when she was told the cancer had returned.
Faced with the agonising decision of terminating the pregnancy or delaying the best cancer treatment, Kate chose to have her daughter.
Secondary breast cancer – when breast cancer returns in another part of the body – is incurable and affects about a third of patients within 10 years.
Kate put off having strong treatment, which would have harmed her baby, and continued with the pregnancy to give birth to Katie-Hope.
The newborn was delivered by c-section six weeks early so Kate could be given the radiotherapy she needs to stave off the cancer.
Doctors don't know how long the now mother-of-two has left to live.
'How brave is Kate and her family – nothing but admiration for them,' Twitter user Mel said.
Mel was one of many people on Twitter who called Kate 'brave' and said they admired the way she was coping with her devastating situation
Sue Reeve said she was 'in tears for much of tonight's excellent programme', in which doctors juggled treating Kate's cancer and delivering her baby safely
Juliet McKee said she was moved by the episode and remarked: 'Tonight we witnessed just how powerful a mother's love can be'
