Lucy Devine
Warning: This article contains discussion of cancer which some readers may find distressing.
A woman was given only two years to live after her symptoms were mistaken for indigestion.
Maeve Fanning, 38, from Birmingham, was diagnosed with a rare type of cancer called thymoma, earlier this year.
Thymoma develops on a gland called the thymus, which is located behind the breastbone.
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Maeve first started experiencing symptoms last fall, when she noticed she was struggling to eat due to a 'heaviness' in her stomach, as well as indigestion.
She was prescribed medication but her symptoms did not lessen and were then followed by an ongoing cough.
When Maeve started feeling breathless just before Christmas, she visited her GP who arranged for her to have scans to find out if there was anything more serious happening.
The scans revealed excess fluid in Maeve's lungs, which doctors were concerned could point to blood cancer.
However, days later and Maeve discovered she actually had thymoma.
"When they detected fluid in my lungs and said they'd need to start treatment immediately my heart sunk," Maeve told the Daily Mail.
"Two of my children have birthdays in January, so after my biopsy, I ran around trying to get the last bits together - balloons and presents - the call came two days later.
"On January 4 I was told I likely had blood cancer and that they had a bed for me.
"It was heartbreaking having to explain to my children that I wasn't going to be there for them. They watched from the window as I left, crying their eyes out.
"When I asked what my prognosis was, I was told I would just have to be patient and wait for the results. It was horrendous."
Maeve found out she had stage four thymoma, after doctors discovered it had also spread to the lining of her lungs.
Maeve - who is mom to Oonagh, nine, Cormac, five and Ciaran, two, has been offered palliative chemotherapy, which would give her a maximum of two years to live.
She has now paired her chemotherapy treatment with a series of other treatments including hyperthermia, hyperbaric oxygen therapy, curcumin infusions and light therapy.
On a GoFundMe page - set up to help Maeve with the costs of her treatment - she explained: "I am currently travelling down to London twice a week for private treatment which is designed to complement the chemotherapy I am receiving. Treatment includes hyperthermia, hyperbaric oxygen therapy, curcumin infusions and light therapy. These are evidence backed treatments but unfortunately the cost is pretty astronomical.
"However, I have read so many positive stories and outcomes of people receiving these treatments that I feel it is critical I continue but need some help funding it.
"I am trying absolutely everything to ensure I am alive and healthy to see my beautiful children grow up. When I was diagnosed, my youngest was just 18 months old and at the time I wasn't sure if Christmas 2024 would be my last with them. It's a horrendous situation, every mother's worst nightmare and this is why I need to do everything I can to ensure I am still here for them."
On the page, a friend explained: "There are not really the words to describe how huge this blow has been for Maeve and the impact that this has had on her and her beautiful family.
"She is an amazing mother to her three children Oonagh (9), Cormac (5) and Ciaran (2) and a wonderful wife to her husband, Paddy. Everyone who knows them adores them and they are so kind and generous.
"But now, they need our support - as we all know the NHS only offers so much and with a Stage 4 diagnosis, the options for treatment are limited. However, Maeve has so much tenacity and resilience and has worked tirelessly to seek out possible treatments that can alter her prognosis and hopefully beat cancer for good."
Maeve is also due to begin proton beam therapy at University College London Hospital later this month.
The mom also wants to raise awareness of the link between autoimmune condition, lichen planus, which she was diagnosed with a year earlier.
Scientists believe there could be a link between thymoma and the autoimmune disease, which causes: clusters of shiny, raised, purple-red blotches on the body; white patches on your gums, tongue or the insides of your cheeks; burning and stinging in the mouth; bald patches; sore red patches on the vulva; rough, thinning nails and ring-shaped purple or white patches on the penis.
The NHS explains that sufferers can have just one of these symptoms.
You can visit Maeve's GoFundMe here.
If you’ve been affected by any of these issues and want to speak to someone in confidence, contact the American Cancer Society on 1-800-227-2345 or via their live chat feature, available 24/7 every day of the year.