Cindy Sheehan, the Californian woman whose son's death in Iraq has driven her to camp in protest outside the gates of President Bush's ranch in Texas, has had a wretched week.

Last Friday, her husband Patrick filed for divorce and last night Mrs Sheehan had to temporarily abandon her two-week old vigil to visit her mother in Los Angeles, who has suffered a stroke.

Mrs Sheehan, known as a "Gold Star mom" in America because her son, Casey, was killed in action in Sadr City, Baghdad, last year, promised her supporters that the protest will go on. She has vowed to remain outside the gates of Mr Bush's ranch until he either meets her or returns to Washington.

"I’ll be back as soon as possible if it’s possible," she is reported as telling the protesters who have joined her in recent days.

Mrs Sheehan then flew to Los Angeles and visited her mother in hospital before giving an impromptu news conference on the steps of the Tri-City Regional Medical Center.

After telling reporters that her 74-year-old mother had recognised her, Mrs Sheehan repeated her reasons for staging her protest, which has grown to include 100 campers, including relatives of other soldiers killed in Iraq.

"I want to know what the noble cause is that my son died for like (Bush) always says," Mrs Sheehan said. "Because I don’t believe dying in a war of aggression on a country that’s no threat to the United States of America is a noble cause."

Mrs Sheehan's protest, with its mounting personal cost, has attracted enormous attention in America. Through the lenses of unceasing media coverage, she has invoked sympathy from thousands of strangers just as she has enraged supporters of the war and others who believe her rhetoric and logic is simplistic.

On Wednesday night, candlelight vigils were held in towns across America to show support for Mrs Sheehan and yesterday her protest was joined by Senator Becky Lourey of Minnesota, whose son also died in Iraq.

But neighbours of Mr Bush have objected to the presence of Mrs Sheehan and her supporters, who have camped in fields and ditches near the President's Chapel Ranch since August 6.

Today, the camp will be moved into a one-acre site lent to the protesters by Fred Mattlage, a local resident who opposes the war.

The President has declined to meet Mrs Sheehan during her protest. The two did meet soon after Casey's death, but she now says that she was confused by grief at the time and her understanding of the war has changed.

Instead of coming outside to visit the protest camp, Mr Bush has sent two senior officials, including Stephen Hadley, his National Security Adviser, to talk to Mrs Sheehan. For the most part, Mr Bush seems determined to enjoy his month-long holiday.

He has been spending his time fly-fishing and using his chainsaw. Tomorrow, Lance Armstrong, the Texan winner of seven Tour de France races, is coming over for a mountain bike ride. Mr Bush is also catching up on his history, reading books on Tsar Alexander II, the influenza epidemic of 1919 and salt.

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