A mum found herself so fatigued she was sleeping almost all day before being diagnosed with a brain tumour "the size of a tangerine".
Alison Carter was told by doctors without immediate surgery she would be dead within two months.
The 34-year-old had a 13-hour operation in October last year before having to learn to walk again - and had to wear an eye patch after being left with a squint in her right eye.
But heartbreak struck once more when the tumour returned and Alison went under the knife again for a second eight-hour procedure in December.
The mum-of-two, from east Hull, has also undergone two rounds of gruelling chemotherapy.
Alison said telling her family about the tumour – husband Daniel, 35, and kids Alisha, 14, and Oliver, nine – was the "saddest day" of her life.
She is now in a battle to regain her independence, but said having to get help in the bath is particularly "soul-destroying".
Speaking to HullLive, she said: "After feeling fatigue for over a year, it got to the point I was sleeping all day."
After various tests for vitamin deficiencies and sleep apnea, she was sent for a CAT scan in September last year.
"While waiting for my MRI, I was told I must go straight up to an hospital ward after my scan," she continued.
"I was then told I had an tumour the size of a tangerine and needed surgery.
"The consultant told me they could not remove 100 per cent, as the tumour was attached to the back of my brain and it would make me paralysed.
"I was told if I didn't have the operation, I had two months to live."
Following her second operation, she lost hearing in her left side and started a shaking tremor in her left arm.
She began six weeks of radiotherapy in February, along with chemo pills.
Alison added: "I am now on just the chemotherapy pills for six months, which is taking every bit of energy out of me."
She went on to say: "I've gone from being an independent woman who worked and loved family days out and family holidays to having everything done for me.
"I struggle daily now with life. I cannot dress myself or do things like make meals, washing or even walk unaided.
"The biggest daily struggle is not being able to get in and out of the bath alone, which is soul-destroying. If I need some fresh air or a change of scenery, I have to rely on my elderly mother, which is so hard for her, or my husband to push me in a wheelchair."
Her friends and neighbours have launched a Crowdfunder page to raise the money they need to help improve Alison's home.
They want to raise enough money to install a wet room and a stairlift in her home and to buy her a mobility scooter.
To reach their goal of £10,000, they are planning to complete a sponsored skydive in the coming months.
You can donate to the appeal by clicking here.
