'I don't want to die': Mum devastated after heartburn leads to cancer
When mum of two Amie Walton felt the sting of heartburn and pain in both shoulders, she didn't think anything of it.
But a push from her best friend to see a doctor after months of suffering led to a life-changing diagnosis.
The 30-year-old from Birmingham, in the UK, was diagnosed with Stage 4 bowel cancer in September, 2020 after doctors discovered a tumour the size of a pea on the right side of her colon.
They also found the cancer had spread to her liver, and within a week of her diagnosis, she was put on an aggressive chemotherapy treatment.
"When I was diagnosed with stage 4, I just went completely blank," she told UK media. "I was so distraught. It all happened so quickly".
By April 2021, Ms Walton — who's mum to Harry, 7, and Mia, 5, — was told the chemo had been successful and that she was eligible to have 60 per cent of her liver removed.
At this point, the mum of two had six tumours on the left side of her liver and 15 on the right, but doctors were able to reduce them by 90 per cent with surgery.
Ms Walton admitted she was "terrified" and thought she was "going to die," so to learn the treatment had been successful came as a shock.
Mum receives her 'death sentence'
Months later, her health took a turn once more and two more tumours were found. She underwent another three rounds of chemo, but it stopped working.
The only way to survive was for the family to fork out thousands for a treatment not covered by the UK's National Health System (NHS), called selective internal radiotherapy treatment (SIRT).
This is where tiny radioactive beads are injected into the artery which supplies cancer, and the private treatment costs more than $62,000.
The cost of staying alive
Each round only lasts for six months, her friend Jess Davies explained online, meaning she'll need multiple treatments if it meant having a "fighting chance."
So far, the family have managed to raise enough money for two rounds of SIRT, and although it "worked wonders", in October 2021 the cancer spread to her lungs.
Ms Walton, with 50 tumours on each lung, has been told nothing more could be done to save her life, but it can be prolonged with Palliative Chemo, which will cost $3,500 a month.
'I don't want to die'
The hardest thing for the mum of two is knowing she won't watch her kids grow up, she said, adding she's "too young" to die.
"I’m a young mum with young children. I shouldn’t be in and out of hospital wondering how long I have left," she said, The Sun reported.
"I don't want to die. I want to be here for all their milestones. Whenever I hold my children, I feel so proud of them, I just want to cry."
Her best friend Jess is spearheading a GoFundMe campaign to help raise funds for the family.
"We don't know how long Amie has left with us in this world, but together, we can do whatever it takes to give her as much time as we can to shine bright like she always does & make those final last memories with those she loves," she wrote on the GoFundMe page.
"More importantly [make memories] with her beloved children who adore her more than anything."
Ms Walton's fiancé Chris said he's "so proud of Amie".
"After going through the most horrendous time, she does everything she can for our children," he told UK media.
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