Cancer mum dies after brave battle for earlier testing
A BRAVE cancer victim who campaigned for the cervical screening age to be lowered has died at the age of 31.
Mother of four Natasha Sale launched a petition calling for the threshold to be lowered from 25 to 18, after she was told she had cervical cancer in 2016.
Last August Natasha, from Newton Abbot, Devon, was given 12 to 15 months to live but she died three days after Christmas.
So far, the online petition she started has received more than 78,000 signatures and is nearing the target of 100,000 it needs to be considered for debate in Parliament.
Best friend Amanda Scott described Natasha as a “warrior who fought long and hard”.
She said: “It absolutely breaks my heart to be writing this and never thought in a million years you’d be taken from us.
“We have grown up since nursery my true life-long friend. I still can’t get my head around it and doesn’t seem real, God only takes the best and you were an absolute warrior.
“You fought long and hard and proved many wrong time and time again.
“You were an inspiration and such a caring beautiful woman, always helping others and worried about others more than yourself when you were going through such a tough time.
“You were the best mother to your four beautiful children who will never forget you and will always be reminded of what a legend you were.”
Natasha was diagnosed with stage three cervical cancer at the age of 28.
She underwent 25 rounds of radiotherapy and six of chemotherapy before being transferred to the Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital for internal radiotherapy.
Three months later doctors gave her the devastating news that the cancer had spread to her abdominal lining and lung, meaning it was incurable.
She was given two to three years to live.
In February, Natasha was given a chance at more time with her children Josh, 12, Ella, 11, Lily, nine, and four-year-old Oakley.
Her scan looked positive so the doctors decided to remove the tumour on Natasha’s lung.
However, in June she was taken to hospital with severe pain after the lung tumour grew again and spread to her bowel, bladder and uterus.
Doctors gave her about 12 to 15 months to live and she started palliative chemotherapy, however six days after her 31st birthday Natasha passed away.
A Facebook page called Natasha’s Army has been set up in her memory, with family and friends encouraging people to keep signing her petition.