The mother of Billy Lee says she is hopeful her son will be “back on his two feet” by the end of August after their fundraising appeal to pay for a bionic leg broke the £100,000 barrier, just four months after its launch.

The 20 year-old was diagnosed with cancer last November and had his leg and part of his hip amputated on January 21.

An appeal was launched to raise £70,000 so he could get a prosthetic limb, enabling him to live a more normal life.

The response of the community has been astonishing. They hit their target at the beginning of April - now, they’ve reached six figures.

Mrs Lee says her son, who is undergoing his final round of chemotherapy this week, will meet a prosthetic limb specialist in Dorset next month. All being well, it should be fitted by the end of August.

She said: “We never thought we would reach £70,000 so to reach £100,000 so quickly is beyond belief. It’s just amazing. I’m stuck for words. Thank you to everyone for their continued support.

“Hopefully by the end of August Billy will be back on his two feet again.”

The limb will require maintenance every five years at a cost of £18,500 per time so the fund raising will not stop, Mrs Lee says.

She paid tribute to her son, who she says is slowly coming to terms with his situation.

She said: “He has been through so much since November and he has coped incredibly well, we are so proud of him.

“Behind closed doors, he has had to come to terms with not having a leg. It’s a lot for a young man to have to go through. There are ups and downs, so we take every day as it comes.”

Billy is desperate to get his life back to some semblance of normality, his mother says. He has been hitting the gym and will return to work at Bloom and Wake next month in an office role.

Mrs Lee says: “He wants to get back into a routine, back to normality. Being back at work in the office will mean he’ll be able to have that banter again.

“24/7 Fitness (in Wisbech) have been very encouraging. They have given him free membership and, to start with, opened outside of hours so he could go because he didn’t want to be seen. Now, he’s going at all hours.”

To donate, go to http://www.gofundme.com/Billyon2feet