The father of disabled twins has told how his wife prepared them for life without her before she died.

David Cullen, 42, said his wife Joan packed a lifetime of activities into her final months after being told she had terminal lung cancer.

She was treated for angina at the John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford, for 18 months before doctors changed their diagnosis to lung cancer on New Year's Eve 2001.

The former taxi driver died on July 1, leaving her husband to look after seven-year-old twins Nuala, and Hollie, who were both born with disabilities.

Mr Cullen, from Oxford, has started legal proceedings to sue Oxford Radcliffe Hospitals NHS Trust, responsible for the JR, for the alleged wrong diagnosis of his wife's condition. During her illness, Mrs Cullen was in severe discomfort because an allergy to morphine meant she could not take the pain-killing drug.

But she was determined to enjoy her final months with her daughters.

Nuala, a pupil at Mabel Pritchard School, Littlemore, Oxford, has the condition global development delay, which has left her autistic and suffering from cerebral palsy.

Hollie, who attends St John Fisher Catholic First School, Littlemore, Oxford, has a condition called sacral ingenisis, which means the bottom five vertebrae of her spine were missing when she was born.

Former industrial cleaner Mr Cullen, who gave up work to look after his wife and children, said: "In the last six months there was a lot of anger, but we have also made a lot of memories. "Hollie was in hospital when Joan was told she had lung cancer.

"We picked up her and Nuala and took them home -- we just wanted to be together. Joan made a wish list, which we went through, and packed a lifetime of things into six months. We went to Ireland, Belgium and Disneyland."

As well as enjoying her last few months, Mrs Cullen also prepared her family for life without her.

Mr Cullen said: "She has left videos and wrapped Christmas and birthday presents for the girls to open, up until they are 21. Over the last few months she taught me how to use things like the washing machine, drier, and cooker. She prepared us all.

"She organised her own funeral -- down to the very last details.

"She wanted a bottle of cola, crisps and chocolate left next to her coffin in the funeral parlour. "She wasn't frightened at all, just upset she wouldn't be here for the girls.

"She was a fighter and passed that on to me and Hollie especially. She was fun-loving, protective of her whole family and strong-minded, which helped her over the last few months."

The family has received a lot of help from friends since Mrs Cullen's death, and Mr Cullen said their situation would have been "10 times worse" without the help of SeeSaw, a charity which supports bereaved children.

Solicitors working for Mr Cullen have now started legal proceedings against the ORH and launched an independent investigation into Mrs Cullen's care.

An ORH spokesman said the trust could not comment on the case at this stage.