A mum-of-two was left devastated after she discovered her illness was much more than the sickness bug which had hit her son.
After a routine blood test, Stacy Wakins from Reading was contacted by her GP rang who insisted she get checked out immediately.
Days later, in October last year, the 38-year-old was hit with the news she had terminal cervical cancer, despite showing no other symptoms.
After more tests, she was stunned to find out it was a form of aggressive cervical cancer which had spread to her liver and spine.
She was heartbroken to discover she faced only months left to live without treatment.
In the wake of that devastating blow, the family were stunned when it was revealed that her partner Daniel, who had been suffering from neck and back pain, also had a tumour pressing on his spine.
The couple, who live in Reading with their two children, say that Daniel put off going to his GP last year, due to shielding during lockdown, despite waking up unable to move his neck
He told The Sun: "I felt like I couldn't move my neck at all. It felt like I was in a neck brace.
"At the time we were shielding because of the pandemic so I put off going to my doctor for as long as possible and then mid-December I went to the doctor - they said it was in severe spasm, it was diagnosed as frozen shoulder."
He was told to have physio and acupuncture and prescribed medication to help ease the problem but eventually, after an MRI, a large tumour was found pushing against his brain stem.
He is now waiting for an operation to have it removed and biopsied before it causes more damage.
Stacy who also suffers from lupus, fibromyalgia and rheumatoid arthritis, had not noticed any other cervical cancer symptoms.
Daniel, 41, a builder, said: "Unfortunately they were doing tests [for her lupus] and they told her that you've got cervical cancer, about a week before I got diagnosed.
"She has very aggressive stage four cancer - without treatment she would have weeks, possibly months, but with treatment, it's looking like months.
"That's why we are looking so frantically, looking for treatment, not on the NHS - we want her here as long as possible.
"There's a lot going on so my way of dealing with it is just putting her first and just care for her as best as possible."
The family are trying to raise £90,000 for private treatment which could prolong her life.
Daniel added: “We have found different types of chemotherapy and also immunotherapy, but they’re not available on the NHS.
“Just a half an hour consultation can cost anything between £250 and £450 and initial indications are that the treatment needed will be in the region of £90,000.
“We would appreciate any donation, however large or small."
Meanwhile, their son, Hayden, 18, has had four pacemakers since he was born and Tia, 15, had a heart transplant at the age of four.
Dan told The Mirror: “It’s literally been a whirlwind of a life, it’s coming at us from every single angle.
“One of these things to happen in a lifetime is bad enough but all of the things happening at the same time, it’s like living in your own horror movie.
“We’ve had to sit the kids down and tell them that their grandad has cancer and it’s not looking good.
“My mum is fighting stage 4 lung cancer. She’s already had one lung removed but it’s returned so we’ve had to tell them their nan has cancer.
"Then we’ve had to sit them down and tell them that their mum has cancer and say we are looking at months with treatment.
“And then we’ve had to turn around and tell them it's not just neck and back pain I have, I also have a tumour at the top of my spine and will need an operation.”
To read more about the family or donate click here.
