A mum who was told she had Crohn's disease as she suffered from "crippling illness" has now been diagnosed with stage four bowel cancer.
Emma Egerton was first told that she had ulcerated colitis when she was aged 11 and then this progressed to Crohn's disease which has left her in considerable pain, reported the Liverpool Echo.
Crohn's disease is a chronic condition where parts of the digestive system become inflamed. The main symptoms include stomach aches and cramps, fatigue, weight loss and diarrhoea.
And when Emma began to seek help for certain symptoms such as chronic fatigue and abdominal pain, she was told it was due to Crohn's and so "plodded on".
But earlier this year, she was given the devastating diagnosis that she has stage four bowel cancer.
Her mother Trisha, from Runcorn, said: "She's been under hospital care since 16 when she left Alder Hey and they were treating her every six weeks to try and control the Crohn's. When she finally had this camera, we found out she had cancer and it was stage four and inoperable.
"She was told to just accept it because it was part of Crohn's, she didn't have the classic cancer symptoms like blood in the poo but she plodded on thinking it was Crohn's and it wasn't."
Despite living with the gruelling illness, Emma has been "determined to live her life" as she worked with the homeless and was "heavily involved in the community" which has always been a "passion of hers".
Always working above and beyond, only taking a break to give birth to her five-year-old son, Emma is now no longer able to work due to the cancer and is being cared for by her parents.
Having been told the chemotherapy treatment may only be 50% successful, the family are hoping to get to Germany for private treatment.
Trisha added: "She's absolutely devastated, we all are. She's got to start chemotherapy but we are looking to get her to Germany for treatment but that's going to be £17,000. We are trying to get her vitamin infusions in the mean time but each are around £500."
A fundraising page has been set up by family friend Jenny Graham, who describes Emma as a "gorgeous, courageous lady". So far £14,545 has been raised which the family says they are "incredibly grateful" for.
Anyone wishing to donate to the fundraiser can do so here.
