THE family of a County Durham mum-of-three has been left “devastated” after their loved one has been given months to live following a spirited cancer battle.
Emma Hardman, from Stanley, was diagnosed with breast cancer at the end of 2021.
After finding a lump, the County Durham mum hoped that she could survive and battle the cruel disease, but, on February 9, doctors told her that the cancer had spread to her spinal cord and brain fluid and informed her that she only had a couple of months to live.
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Despite the devastating news impacting her and her family, the Stanley resident is still determined to try and fight this with the help of her family members, who have turned to fundraising as a support-mechanism.
In the coming weeks, the 41-year-old will undergo chemotherapy, but that hasn’t stopped her family looking for alternative methods of beating cancer.
Through a Go Fund Me page, her daughter, Shannon Gibson, 25, has aimed to raise £1000 – but hopes to raise as much money as possible.
Making the fundraising even more devastating is that Shannon’s dad was also given a few months to live after he was diagnosed with brain cancer.
On that occasion, the family also turned to generous donors to raise funds, and, four years later, her dad is still alive.
On the fundraising page, her daughter said: “This has honestly broken us all as a family. But she’s still willing to try and fight it and she’s not giving up any time soon.
“We are trying to find new treatment and it’s very expensive If you could help in any way, please do.”
During her lifetime, Shannon has said that her mum has helped others, including a charity boxing match for Cancer Research, with the -25-year-old describing her mother as “selfless”.
Shannon added: “She’s trying to get up and about, despite her illness. She tries her hardest to just get on with everything and take it all in her stride.
"She doesn't want to spend the last days of her life feeling sorry for herself and in bed, that’s why the doctors have chosen to give her chemotherapy until she doesn’t feel well enough.”
She added: "At the moment, we’re trying to raise money because she's going to try anything that can prolong her life.
"She's not giving up any time soon – she’ll continue to fight.
"We're not sure how much money we'll need in total so I'm just trying to raise as much as I can."
Already, the fundraiser has helped to raise £555 of the £1000 target after only two weeks of its creation.
People can donate to the Go Fund Me page here.
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