A Scots woman has spoken of her struggle after her mum tragically died of an asbestos-related cancer.
Heartbroken Abbigail Bonner lost her mum Angela Smith on June 23 this year to mesothelioma, a form of cancer linked to exposure to asbestos.
While trying to cope with her own grief, the 31-year-old had to "step up to the plate" and take on little brother Brady, 13, who she currently cares for along with her own son Jamie, 12, in their "cramped" Edinburgh flat.
Speaking to Edinburgh Live, Abbigail explained that her beloved mum started showing symptoms of the disease back in 2019. The then 50-year-old suffered from shortness of breath, was struggling to walk and at times looked "swollen".
She said: "Mum was receiving care from Marie Curie, and I joined support groups for people affected by this mesothelioma. I had never heard of it, I hadn't even heard of asbestos before but Mum was really struggling and was getting three litres of fluid drained from her lungs.
"Around the end of 2020 or early 2021, she had a scan and they said they couldn't find the cancer. We thought she was going to be alright!
"But her symptoms continued, she was coughing up blood, and she was given antibiotics for a chest infection. In the last eight months of her life, she got really bad. I had to do her shopping and help her out."
On June 21 this year, Angela was blue-lighted to the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh after experiencing pain in her right side and an elevated heart rate.
Abbigail explained: "She went in and we were told to 'hope for the best, but expect the worst'. She went into cardiac arrest and she then stopped breathing for 15 minutes.
"There was no oxygen going to her brain, her organs were failing and she was put on life support and given 100 per cent oxygen, 100 per cent everything.
"We were allowed to go in at around 9pm that night and the staff at the high-dependency unit were brilliant, they were amazing. We sat with her for hours but the next morning she died."
Angela passed away at the age of 53 on June 22, leaving behind children Abbigail, Luca, 20, and Bradley, 13. She is also survived by her grandson Jamie, 12, and her sister, Beverley, 43.
Abbigail said: "It was seven years to the day that our big sister Clare passed away that mum had a heart attack." "My other sister Luca had to pull money together to get down from Orkney so she could say goodbye to Mum."
"But the machines were turned off at 6pm on the 22nd. Luca got in at 6.30pm. It is just heartbreaking."
Since her mother's death, Abbigail has been sleeping on the couch to make sure her brother and her son both have their own bed. She said: "It's been hard. It's been really tough.
"But I knew I had to be strong for them and step up to the plate, there wasn't any doubt that I had to take Bradley in with me. So we're all together but my flat is just a cramped two-bed and I'm now sleeping on the sofa and my brother has my bed.
"It's just me organising my mum's funeral and it's all really difficult. My sister set up a Go Fund Me to help."
Fighting back tears, Abbigail described her mum as "very friendly" and "full of life". She said: "People said that she made everyone she met feel special, she was very friendly, full of life. She had a great voice too, she loved singing.
"She used to sing with the back door open in the kitchen. She'd just be pottering around the house and singing out loud. She had time for everybody."
To donate and help Abbigail and her family give Angela the send off she deserves, you can donate at Go Fund Me.
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