A hard-working mum has just months to live after a "simple water infection" turned out to be an aggressive form of cancer.
When Natalie Larkin, 41, started having stomach problems in late 2021, her doctors thought she was suffering from a series of infections and prescribed her antibiotics. But when the mum-of-one started passing blood clots, she was given an ultrasound which revealed a suspicious mass on one of her kidneys.
A few weeks later, she had an MRI and was given the devastating news - a 12.7cm malignant tumour was found in one of her kidneys, and she would have to undergo an urgent operation to have it removed in June 2021.
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Tragically the aggressive cancer continued to spread, and in December 2022 the mum-of-one, who lives in Speke, was told she had just 12 to 18 months to live.
She said: "The last 18 months has been very difficult for me and my family, I’ve struggled with my diagnosis to a point where I didn’t leave the bed. It took me to a very dark place but I took some time to process the situation and realised it was out of my control so the best thing for me was to get my positivity back and fight this terrible disease so I could be here for my daughter. I will fight everyday with everything I have."
Natalie, a former beautician, was forced to give up her work due to her illness, and spent eight weeks in hospital last year after coming down with a bad cases of sepsis. She is currently undergoing chemotherapy at the Clatterbridge Cancer Centre in Aintree.
Her sister Sian, 32, said: "We knew from the beginning she had an aggressive cancer, but we weren't expecting to be told she only had 12 to 18 months left. Natalie didn't want to know the outcome at first, but for some reason she asked them. I think it was because she had been so ill, she knew something was going on.
"From the day she was told about the cancer in 2021, she hasn't seen a moment of peace."
A fundraiser to support Natalie in her final months has now been set up by Sian and fellow sister Danielle, with the aim of raising £5,000. The campaign, which has already brought in more than £3,000, will also go towards helping Natalie's daughter India, 18, after her death.
Sian said: "We're a very close family. We see each other every day. It's been absolutely devastating.
"India is devastated knowing that she's going to lose her mum within the next year. The day we found out she only had 12 to 18 months left, her whole world shattered. She didn't know what to do. All she could do was cry. She's a strong child, so to see her go through that was the most heart-wrenching thing we've had to go through.
"When Natalie was told (the prognosis), she spent the next three months in bed with severe depression. She lost a lot of weight due to the tablets, she couldn't eat, her mental health went completely downhill. Natalie is such a strong person, we've always looked up to her. To see her lying in bed in a feotal position, sobbing, was the worst possible thing ever,
"It's a terrible thing when there's no physical way of helping her. The only thing we can do is stray strong and try to support her and give as much as we can."
She added that she hoped people would share Natalie's fundraiser even if they are not able to donate, in the hope of spreading the appeal far and wide.
Natalie said: "I’m so emotional and overwhelmed by the kindness of my family, friends and strangers. I’ve always been a very independent person who strived to do things by myself so to have others reach out and help me and my daughter has been a very humbling experience.
"My oncologist thinks (I have) 18 months at best, but I'm stubborn and I will continue to fight this disease. I would like to raise awareness of kidney cancer as it’s a silent killer. If you're fatigued constantly, unwell or have high blood pressure but bloods are normal, or you have persistent UTIs or flank pain in your side or back, insist on a referral. Early diagnosis is your best prognosis."
Natalie's 'fight with cancer' fundraiser can be found here.
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