Young mum's battle for life during coronavirus pandemic

A care worker in the UK has been handed a death sentence after having three medical appointments cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Kimberley Eccles who lives in Lancashire noticed a growth on her left cheek earlier this year. She booked an appointment to have it checked by a doctor but that initial appointment was cancelled, as were two others.

By the time Eccles, 23, was able to have the growth tested she was handed a devastating diagnosis - she had a rare tissue cancer called Rhabdomyosarcoma and had just six months to live.

The diagnosis was delivered via video call.

Eccles has spoke of her devastation at the diagnosis and her fear of leaving her daughter Maya, seven, behind.

"It's impacting massively on normal daily life both mentally and physically," she tells 9Honey. "It's a struggle to do 'normal' daily life activities."

Eccles was initially advised by doctors to make the most of the time she has left but she is determined to fight for her life.

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"My health now is not great, chemotherapy has left me unable to feel both my finger tips and toes, my mobility is limited and I use a stick to walk now, I am experiencing a lot of pain in both my tumour and my bones," she says.

The next step is surgery to remove the growth on November 30 followed by more appointments to try and find alternative treatments.

"I am due to speak to specialists in both London and Wales tomorrow morning privately to ask about alternative treatments in the UK, all treatments other than surgery have been ruled out for me as it stands with NHS," she says.

She is holding out hope for the treatment in the US but the continuing pandemic is making travel difficult.

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"I am extremely hopeful about the treatment in the US but being realistic and looking at the amount we would need to get over there it seems very far away so other alternative hospitals are being looked into as we speak we just don't have much time left," she says. "Praying for a miracle to be honest. Just a doctor that knows how to deal with Rhabdomyosarcoma, it's proving very difficult with it being so rare."

If she does get to the US the cost is an issue, with the family attempting to crowdfund the money to pay for it.

She writes on her crowdfunding page: "Hey, so this fundraiser has been made by myself. My partner Darren will be skydiving 11,000ft (3,352 metres) in order to raise money to send me and our family (There is Me, Darren & our Daughter) to stay in America for the treatment I desperately need."

She says she was a "normal typical mum" working as a fulltime carer when her life took a turn for the worst.

"My tumour was/is aggressive and once spread will be completely incurable. The Doctor described this as a ticking bomb and once it goes off there isn't any going back. Chemotherapy was put into place but we have been advised that this is not shrinking the cancer enough."

Despite chemotherapy which caused her to lose her hair and mobility, her condition hasn't improved.

The surgery is the next step and the treatment in the US.

"I may be catching at straws trying to raise this money but I will try ANYTHING TO SAVE MY LIFE," she says on the crowdfunding page. "I don't want to write a bucket list, I want to be around to watch my girl grow up, marry the man of my dreams & live a healthy life."

Share your story by emailing Jo Abi at jabi@nine.com.au.