A mum's trip to the opticians with an eye problem ended in devastated when she was told she had incurable cancer.
Sharon Coups went to Specsavers because her right eye had become irritated in June.
The 50-year-old was checked over by an optician and was shocked to be told she should go straight over to Kings Mill Hospital to be seen by a consultant, reports Nottinghamshire Live.
Miss Coups, a mum-of-two, said: "The optician said she could see something in my eye and urged me to go straight to hospital.
"I asked if I should book an appointment there but she said 'no, go straight there now'.
"I turned up at hospital and was rushed straight in to see a consultant and thats when it dawned on me it must be serious."
The Edwinstowe resident, who works for Nottingham Community Housing Association, was sent for a second opinion at Royal Hallamshire Hospital in Sheffield where she was told the lump in her eye was a secondary type of cancer and the source would be elsewhere in her body.
She said: "I had lots of CT scans and a full body scan and I was told I had bowel cancer but it had spread to my liver, lungs and bones.
"I have since been having treatment but I have been told that is incurable and very rare.
"Since then the bone cancer has now spread to my skull and I have been told there is some activity in my right breast."
Miss Coups is now undergoing treatment to shrink her hormones and hopefully reduce the cancer in her body.
She said it is now a waiting game to see if the cancer responds to the treatment before options like radiotherapy and chemotherapy are concidered.
Her friend decided to set up a fundraising page to support her with paying her bills when she is off work sick.
Miss Coups said: "I haven't been working at my job long enough to accrue sick pay so when I take time off for treatment I won't get paid.
"My work have been amazing and so supportive but I just worry about paying the bills when I am off sick.
"I want to carry on and I love my job but I also need to recover after surgeries and treatment."
On the fundraising page, her friend Cath Harrison said: "My lovely friend Sharon has been diagnosed with Neuroendocrine Carsinoma, which is an incurable rare form of cancer. Which has now affected most of her body.
"Sharon now finds herself in a position where, despite her illness, she is having to work additional hours to pay cover all her bills while she is off work undergoing treatment.
"She has already used up all her holidays and is not entitled to sick pay due to her not being in her current employment long enough, so any time she needs to take off is now unpaid."
Miss Coups said her two sons Conor, 26, and Aaron, 20, had been supportive throughout the diagnosis and treatment.
She said she wanted to raise awareness of the disease to help others.
She added: "The diagnosis was devastating. I was in shock when I was told but I am being very positive about it. If I am negative then the cancer has won and I won't let that happen."
You can donate to the fundraising page here.
