A terminally ill Harworth woman wants to leave her two young daughters the best memories she can before breast cancer ends her life
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Jess Allen thought that she was cancer free after getting the all clear in August 2020.
She had previously undergone treatment for Triple Negative Breast Cancer which she was diagnosed with in 2019.
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Hide AdAfter chemotherapy and a mastectomy the cancer was gone but sadly she did not stay in remission.
The cancer returned less than a year after she thought she was rid of the nightmare forever, and this time it’s terminal.
Jess, aged 34, has been told she could have just months to live.
The mum of two is now on a mission to make as many memories with her two young daughters as possible.
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Hide AdJess said: “Back in July I found little purple spider web veins around my mastectomy.
“But I didn’t think anything was wrong.
“My oncologist was confident they removed all of the cancer last year.
“But after a couple of days I found pea sized lumps and I knew something wasn’t right.”
Jess went straight to the doctors and after a biopsy it was confirmed that the Triple Negative Breast Cancer had returned.
The cancer is extremely aggressive and hard to treat.
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Hide AdAs it has moved to behind her breast bone doctors have told her it is not possible to remove.
The focus is now on extending the time she has left.
“I’m doing chemotherapy again in the hope of slowing the cancer down,” she added.
“There’s not much else I can do.”
Her number one aim is to create special memories for her daughters Eliza who is seven and Daisy who is four.
“They’re such good girls,” Jess said.
“They deserve so much more than this. They don’t deserve for me to leave them.”
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Hide AdJess has always been a hands-on mum with her girls and is heartbroken that her time with them will be cut short.
“I have to push through the pain for them,” she continued.
“I want to make as many happy memories as possible for them.
“So that they can look back and remember good times in future years.
“There are so many things in their lives I won’t be there for.
“I should be there, it's so unfair.”
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Hide AdJess has planned a trip to Edinburgh with the girls where they will dress like Disney princesses and stay in a castle.
They will also travel down to Cornwall to spend some quality time together.
Jess also wants to raise money to leave the girls as she has not been able to acquire life insurance.
“I have Crohn's disease so I can’t get any help,” she said.
“I don’t have anything to leave them behind.”The emotional turmoil of Jess’s situation has caused her to reflect and she wants to encourage women to frequently check their breasts.
“I never dreamt that I’d get cancer,” she said.
“It came at me completely out of the blue.
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Hide Ad“If I had found the lump earlier I might have had longer to live - more time with my girls.
“I admit checking myself wasn’t something I ever did.
“I thought ‘I’m in my 30s. I'm fine, but I wasn’t.”
Friend Joanne Summerscales is helping to raise funds and being a strong emotional support to the family.
She said: “You never think that you will have to tell your kids that you're going to die.
“Life is not fair, she has been robbed and so have the girls.
“Jess is so caring and would do anything for anybody.”
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Hide AdJoanne is hosting a raffle to raise money for Jess – tickets are available to buy from her [email protected].
Jess wants to thank charities who have helped her and her children on her mission to make memories.
Evestrust is a Doncaster-based charity who support local families who are suffering with cancer.
They have sent Jess a lump sum of money to help with bills, arranged a caravan holiday and a photo shoot.
Team Verrico sent her to a specialist oncologist in London for a second opinion.
If anyone is able to send a donation to Jess you can do so here.