A Scots mum tragically died from an aggressive cancer just four months after giving birth to her baby girl.
Emma McAroy was diagnosed with a rare and aggressive form of breast cancer while she was pregnant with her second child in July 2020.
Doctors told the mum-of-one they were unable to fully investigate the disease until after her baby was born.
Emma leaves behind husband Chris, and their two young children aged two, and four months.
The couple were married at the Marie Curie Hospice on March 18, 2021.
Emma tragically passed away the following day.
Half-way through her pregnancy, Emma underwent intensive chemotherapy however medics were unsure the treatment would be strong enough to tackle the cancer.
After her baby was born, Emma underwent a mastectomy.
The mum then had various scans to see if the treatment and surgery had worked to stop the cancer from growing.
But she was given the devastating news that her body had not responded to the chemotherapy.
It was unlikely that other forms of chemotherapy would work however Emma powered through with another round for eight weeks in the hope it would stop the spread of the cancer.
She and her family were then dealt the devastating blow that the cancer had now spread to her liver, lungs and bones.
Emma was taken to the Marie Curie hospice on her 36 th birthday where she stayed for fives days before she tragically passed away.
Friends and family have rallied around Chris and his children and have set up a Go Fund Me page to help with costs of the funeral and support the Marie Curie centre and Macmillan Cancer Support.
Friend Lynsey Paterson wrote: “Clearly nothing can readily prepare you for the devastation and hardship that comes with watching a loved one succumb to cancer.
“None of us expect this to happen to us, but this is a real and very brutal reminder of how precious youth, health and life actually are.”
She added: ““This nightmare was happening during a global pandemic, knowing that everything you did together before lockdown, would likely be the last time you did it together.
“Imagine, your precious time left together was reduced to staying at home, waiting, worrying, reminiscing, hoping, trying, coping and crying.”
To support the Go Fund Me page click here.
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