Thousands raised for Birmingham mum with terminal cancer

Thousands of pounds have been raised for the family of a mother-of-two after she was diagnosed with terminal cancer.

Vicki Keating, 30, from Kings Heath in Birmingham, was found to have triple negative breast cancer shortly after giving birth to her daughter in 2018.

After undergoing chemotherapy, radiotherapy, and a double mastectomy, on Wednesday she was told the disease had spread and was terminal.

More than £20,000 has been donated to support her family after her death.

Initially, due to her age, Ms Keating said doctors thought the lump discovered in her breast was a blocked milk duct.

But further investigations showed it to be the rare form of breast cancer, which is seen in about 15 out of every 100 breast cancers.

"I felt sheer panic," Ms Keating said.

"I had just had a baby, I thought 'How can this be happening to me?'"

Despite the treatment, she was told the cancer was in her lungs and chest nodes, and it was not known how long she may have left to live.

"The hardest thing is how well I actually feel and knowing that there will come a point where I am not even well enough to get out of bed," Ms Keating said.

"I am really scared.

"Because I am so young, I didn't have anything behind me to leave to my family, to make sure they were secure."

Ms Keating, who is also the mother of a 10-year-old boy, said she had been "overwhelmed" by people's generosity.

Her oncologist in Birmingham has offered to start chemotherapy treatment as soon as possible to try to extend her life, but Ms Keating is also seeking the advice of a specialist in London.

"I can't wait to make memories with my family, we will cherish the ones we have and I am glad they will have security when I am not here," she said.

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