A hard working mum has been told she has only months left to live after her 'simple water infection' turned out to be an aggressive form of cancer. Natalie Larkin, 41 started suffering from stomach issues in 2021 but her doctors passed it off as a series of infections and prescribed her with antibiotics.
However, when the mum-of-one began passing blood clots, she was given an ultrasound which revealed a suspicious mass on one of her kidneys, the ECHO reports. She received the heart breaking news a few weeks later after a MRI scan revealed she had a 12.7cm malignant tumour on one of her kidneys and underwent an urgent operation to remove it in June 2021.
Sadly, the aggressive cancer continued to spread throughout her body and in December 2022, Natalie was told she only had 12 to 18 months left to live. She said: "The last 18 months have 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, who used to work as a beautician, was forced to give up her profession due to her health and spent eight weeks in hospital last year after contracting sepsis. The mum-of-one 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."
Sian and her fellow sister, Danielle have organised a fundraiser to support Natalie in her final months with the hope of raising £5,000. The campaign has already brought in over £3,000 and will also go towards supporting Natalie's daughter India, 18 after her mum's death.
Sian added: "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 said she hoped people would share Natalie's fundraiser far and wide even if they are unable to personally donate.
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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