HOLIDAY-MAKER Sharon Coates owes her life to doctors on the Greek island of Crete – after having an emergency operation to remove a potentially fatal cyst in her throat.

The 24-year-old bookie had blamed her sore throat on too many fags and too much booze.

But when she went to a doctor for some penicillin she was told she had a life-threatening cyst.

She was taken to hospital and operated on within minutes.

And it was so successful that Sharon and boyfriend Chris Taylor were back sunbathing in the seaside resort of Agios Nikolaos two days later.

Sharon, of Florence Street, Newcastle, said: "I had woken up with a really sore throat which I blamed on too many cigarettes and too much booze so I laid off them all day.

"But I didn't get a single wink of sleep that night and I'd had tonsillitis before so I decided to go to the doctors for some penicillin.

"The doctor took one look at my throat and said I needed to go to hospital right away. He said I had a cyst, and it was really serious.

"I was taken straight to the hospital and the staff were waiting for me. They dragged me inside, put me into a restraining chair and performed the operation there and then. They said the cyst was about to pop, and if it had I could have died."

Now Sharon, who works at Ladbrokes, in Newcastle, will be forever grateful to the doctor and hospital staff who helped keep her alive.

She added: "If I'd just gone to a chemist to get some penicillin they may never have found the cyst and I might not be here now.

"The doctors and nurses were absolutely great.

"I managed to stay calm, but Chris seemed more shocked. They kept sending him on errands at the hospital, like taking blood to get tested, and he didn't know what was going on."

Chris, aged 35, said: "At the time I was really concerned.

"The language barrier was a problem but luckily there were some very nice people there who helped us.

"The hospital was basic but I was impressed with how they dealt with it."

Newcastle GP Dr Latif Hussain, who has not examined Sharon, confirmed that her condition could have been very serious without immediate treatment.

He said: "A cyst in the throat that suddenly blows up would certainly be life-threatening."