A mum who lost her husband in a horror crash was dealt another devastating blow while she cook her family dinner.
Lisa Richards, 50, from West Derby, Merseyside, was devastated when she lost her husband Paul in a car crash, leaving her and their four children Darcy, 20, Macy, 17, Cassidy, 15 and Leo, seven.
But the family received more heart-breaking news following a routine GP appointment, the LiverpoolEcho report.
Lisa began to feel light headed and fatigued and visited her doctor. One evening she was cooking the family tea when she received a call to say she needed to go into critical care immediately.
A blood test showed she was suffering from AML, Acute Myeloid Leukaemia.
Having spent nine weeks at Clatterbridge Hospital , Lisa now faces further rounds of chemotherapy as well as a bone marrow transplant. But her family have stepped in to appeal to the people of Liverpool for their help and support.
Lisa's sister Karen Lloyd, has set up a GoFundMe page to raise funds to support Lisa financially as she fights her illness. She said: "As soon as Lisa called me to tell me the news, we were all so shocked and devastated.
"My gorgeous sister absolutely loves life, and her four children are the centre of her world. Her daughters turn 16, 18 and 21 this year, so she has such a special 2023 planned. Despite the devastating loss of Paul, she has been such an inspiration in how she has provided her family with so much love, care and support.
"Lisa’s condition has left her very poorly, although we know she uses every ounce of the energy she has to preserve the health that she has, and focus on her treatments, so that she can be there for her beautiful children. Like other people in a similar position to Lisa, especially when they are the sole provider for their children, her inability to work has led to huge financial stress."
Lisa, who lost her other sister when she was 24 due to kidney failure, has already been forced to use all of her savings to help towards rent and food bills, and with the cost of living crisis, additional pressure has been placed on the family.
Karen added: "After losing Paul, Lisa has astounded us with her strength, and even more so the ways she has handled her diagnosis of AML.
"It was such a sudden shock, Lisa was literally cooking the tea for her children when the call came for her to go into Critical Care at once. We want to do everything we can to help her so that she can concentrate on her treatments.
"She’s such an amazing person, and has helped so many others in the past, and so we would appreciate the generosity of others right now. As a family, we would also like to thank everyone who has been involved in Lisa’s care so far, including the amazing staff at Clatterbridge Hospital.
"It is only when something like this happens to a loved one that you truly appreciate the wonderful work medical staff do at every level."
You can donate directly to the fundraising campaign for Lisa here.
