A woman suffering from stage four terminal cancer is hoping a fundraiser will give her more time with her two children.
Linsey Farrington initially thought she was having a heart attack after suffering chest pains in April of last year. She had numerous GP and hospital appointments, but despite this she was not diagnosed with cancer. Instead, she was treated for acid reflux.
But the 37-year-old mum-of-two, from Widnes, was devastated to be told this May that she had stomach cancer and that she only had a life expectancy of around 12 months. She is undergoing chemotherapy but if she travels abroad for an alternative treatment it could extend the time she has left.
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She said: "It's not going to cure me, but if it works it could give me more time with my son Harvey (15) and Lily (12).
"I first felt ill last April, when I felt I was having a heart attack because of the chest pains. It was only when my stomach swelled to a massive size over the last Easter weekend that I was diagnosed with cancer, and because it had spread so much there was no surgery available.
"I wasn't checked for it earlier because the doctors thought I was too young to have stomach cancer, as it usually affects older people over the age of 65.
"It was a complete shock. At the time I was really poorly, but the strange thing is I feel absolutely fine now. It's hard to get my head around it. I still have dark times thinking about the future, but I'm trying to stay positive and do as much as I can while I'm still ok."
A number of charity events have already been held to help raise the £60,000 needed for the experimental treatment abroad. This includes events held at Harvey and Lily's school, Wade Deacon in Widnes, along with an eight-hour bike ride from Liverpool to Chester, and more than £4,000 raised by Harvey's football team.
The latest fundraising effort takes place this weekend, when a charity walk takes place on Sunday (July 10) from DCBL Stadium in Widnes to Goodison Park. Former Everton player Peter Reid is due to meet them and present medals to the walkers when they arrive at the ground. Everton fans are welcome to attend and cheer them on when they are due to arrive at 3pm.
Details of the fundraiser for Linsey can be found here. There are also updates on the Facebook page Love Linsey's Life.
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