A young mum who was diagnosed with stage four cancer just weeks after giving birth is hoping for a miracle recovery as she cares for her first child.
When Daisy Dempsey, 29, took her eight-week-old son Acer for a check-up in January, she mentioned a lump in her abdomen to her GP.
She was shocked to learn that it may be cancerous - and test results later confirmed the devastating news.
The diagnosis made her one of the youngest cancer patients doctors had ever come across.
"It just didn’t feel real, to be honest, I thought they’d got it wrong," she told Bedfordshire Live.
"It took so long for a diagnosis to come through... because it was so rare," Daisy's partner Jacob Davey, 33, said.
Her prognosis has been one of containment and doctors have told her she is unlikely to be cured of the disease.
But she is remaining positive for herself and her new son and spreading awareness to young people to check themselves for cancer.
Since January, Daisy has been adapting to life as a new mum while receiving intense treatment for her disease.
Along with weekly trips to swimming classes and baby play groups with Acer, Daisy has received chemotherapy and attended immunotherapy sessions every fortnight.
Her outings with Acer have helped her stay upbeat and "feel like a normal person". She said: "For Acer, I don’t want him to be in a home where everyone’s sad all the time."
"It’s very testing but you can’t feel sorry for yourself for too long," she said.
"Obviously I do have really down days where it’s harder to think like that but you can’t dwell on it for too long."
Daisy remains on maternity leave from her role as a costume assistant on major film productions, including the recent Disney blockbuster Cruella.
But the costs of remedies, supplements, private treatment and transport to and from hospital are racking up, her partner Jacob said.
Daisy also hopes that, with the right support, her situation could turn around.
She said: "There are people who have had miracles happen to them. It’s about focusing on the good rather than being all doom and gloom."
To donate to Daisy and Jacob's fundraiser, visit their GoFundMe page.
