26 April 2023 , 08:44
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A new mum was given a devastating diagnosis just a matter of weeks before she was due to get married, despite suffering symptoms for years beforehand.
Faye Walsh, 32, who has a one-year-old son with her partner, Chris, was left shell-shocked when she was told she had stage 4 terminal bowel cancer.
The news was delivered in December, when she and Chris had been due to get married just a month later - forcing them to postpone their big day.
In the years leading up to her diagnosis, Faye, from Barnsley, had long suffered from fatigue and dizziness but it took a long time to ever know why.
Then in 2021, after giving birth to her son Arlie, she found herself getting more and more exhausted to the point she broke down in tears, telling Chris something wasn't right.
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The couple had been due to get married just the month after Faye received her cancer diagnosis
The couple rearranged their wedding for MayAfter a number of hospital visits and treatments, she was offered a colonoscopy where she learned of her cancer.
"I could see on the screen, without them saying anything. It went silent. I knew straight away even though they had told me not to worry and that it was not going to be cancer," YorkshireLive reported she said.
A CT scan revealed that the cancer had spread to her liver and she discovered she had Lynch syndrome, a genetic condition that can lead to cancer.
This means there's now a 50/50 chance her son could have the same condition.
Faye said: "I felt pretty heartbroken. The 'C' word had never entered my mind up until I had looked at the screen. It is not easy to talk about."
"What about Arlie, I can't die because I have a baby."
Faye has a genetic condition that makes her more likely to suffer from cancerFaye had always dreamed of emigrating to Australia, something Chris' work had finally let them do.
"Chris has been my absolute rock," said Faye. "We are trying to stay so positive."
After spending so long sick, without getting answers, she's now worried other Brits might get "fobbed off" and wants others with persistent health issues to push to get the help they need.
Faye said she isn't trying to point a finger at anyone, but thinks medics believed she wouldn't have had bowel cancer due to her young age.
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Friends and family have rallied around Faye to help, including one friend, Becky Carlisle, who set up a fundraising page after her life insurance company refused to pay out after she incorrectly answered a medical question four years earlier.
Becky said: "When Faye received the final decision that the insurance is void she took the news like a champ and said 'money isn't everything' and 'don't worry'.
"But I do worry. Why should my friend have to go through all of this and then be hit with another blow?
"She absolutely shouldn't have to work during this time...whatever she is doing she should not be worrying about money."
Faye said: "I am flabbergasted. Since the fund was set up I have cried a thousand times - all happy tears.
"It is overwhelming how many people out there care, regardless of whether they know you or not."
Faye and Chris have now rescheduled their wedding for May.
Click here to visit the fundraising page.