A Hebburn woman is desperately hoping to fly to South Africa so that her baby daughter can meet her dad before he dies.
Courtney Strickland, 27, gave birth to baby Miley less than six months ago. For Courtney's dad Anthony Lansdell, 58, little Miley is his first grandchild - and heartbreakingly she will be the only grandchild he ever knows.
That's because a year ago he was diagnosed with skin cancer that has now spread across his body - hitting his bones, his liver, his lymph nodes and his shoulder. He has just months to live.
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And to add to the heartbreak - he lives thousands of miles away in Johannesburg, where Courtney is originally from. Now, she's hoping to raise £2,500 so she can take little Miley to South Africa, where she will be able to meet her grandfather before he dies.
Courtney - who is an office manager - told ChronicleLive: "Dad just got a weird growth on his chest. It was really small, but they did a biopsy - and it came back as cancer. That was about a year ago. And since then it's got worse and worse. It's spread across his chest, into his bones and his liver."
Being able to introduce Miley to her dad properly is now Courtney's dearest wish - but financially the strain of having a new baby has made it seem impossible. She added: "She is his first grandchild and as none of my siblings at home are pregnant, she'll be sadly the only one he'll ever meet.
"We have a great relationship, dad and I, and it's so tough to process. Especially when I have such a young baby."
Courtney moved to Newcastle with her husband two years ago to be close to family. To help her get the tickets home to Johannesburg to see her dad, support the GoFundMe page here.
