A court has been hearing how a Donegal woman died following an 18 month delay in diagnosing her breast cancer.

34-year-old Melissa Hamilton from Killygordon died in September 2011, nine days after giving birth to her third daughter by emergency Caesarean section.

In the witness box Seamus Hamilton described events from the time his wife Melissa attended her GP in late 2009 complaining of a sore right breast to her death 20 months later from advanced breast cancer.

The court heard the disease was only diagnosed in August 2011 on her third referral to a breast care clinic at Letterkenny General Hospital, by which time she was pregnant with her third daughter.

An emergency Caesarean section was carried out and Melissa – who got to see but not touch her newborn child - died nine days later.

Her family are suing her GP and the HSE arising from the delayed diagnosis and the loss they have suffered. Liability has been admitted but the court is being asked to assess damages.

Seamus Hamilton called his wife his soul mate and said his 10-year-old daughter believed at first that her mother was coming back from heaven.