A family has shared their determination to help a terminally ill mum to raise money for when she leaves behind her twin daughters.
Kirsty Simpson was diagnosed with breast cancer three years ago at the age of 28. It has been a very difficult journey for her and her family and doctors told them devastating news yesterday that the cancer is terminal.
Kirsty, now 31, had been to pick up a kitten for her sister, Katie’s, daughter, and after the kitten went to scratch her, she checked under her bra and discovered a lump. Katie, realising something was wrong got her to a doctor who informed her it was cancer.
After a year of chemotherapy, things looked positive but then it came back, reports Leeds Live. She had a breast removed, and continued chemotherapy but then a tumour appeared on her chest in January 2023.
The tumour started to grow and following a recent CT scan, doctors confirmed that the cancer has spread to her lungs, upper torso, and bones, she was told it was terminal last week. Kirsty declined to find out how long she had left to live, instead wanting to make as many memories as possible with her family, including her twin daughters, Isabella and Georgia age seven.
Her sister, Katie, spoke to LeedsLive about the diagnosis and what they are trying to do to make life as easy as possible at such a difficult time. She said: “She is trying to get everything together because she knows. She said let’s keep on fighting and make as many memories as possible.”
“We are bringing her home, hopefully later on today, to spend some time with family and her girls around her.
“She’s literally been going through hell for the past 3 years, but she has been everyone’s rock, she would give you the last pound in her purse. She came to every scan with me when I was pregnant, even during chemo, she made them rush her chemo and she came bursting through the door for the birth. She made it, to meet my son, it was just amazing.
“She is honestly, I don’t even know how to describe it, I would give anything for her. Rather than see her in pain, in bed.”
A friend of the family, Sharon Burns, has since set up a fundraiser for Kirsty’s family. They are hoping to raise enough money to give her a special send-off. Sharon said: “She is absolutely a kind, caring loving mother, she would not hurt a fly, she is an absolutely beautiful person inside and out.
“Louise, my daughter, got cervical cancer, they were fighting it together, they were just there together.
“Her mum and her dad work, her mum has had to stop working to look after the twins, they are really, really struggling. It’s devastating, it’s awful, Louise cries all the time, Kirsty doesn’t want to leave behind her baby girls.
“She doesn’t want to.”
The Gofundme has so far raised over £1,000. To donate to the fundraiser, visit here.
