I can’t find a place to live as I battle aggressive cancer
AYOUNG mum has opened up about her devastating battle to find somewhere to live while fighting aggressive cancer.
Delilah May, 27, from Skelmersdale had been experiencing bloating and pains in March last year, which was refusing to go away. Initially, she put this down to an IBS flare-up, but she began to feel considerably worse and after finding it difficult to play with her three-year-old son Jake, took herself to the hospital.
Although it took a while for Delilah to be diagnosed with Stage 4 bowel cancer, she started treatment straight away.
Delilah said: “I’ve had bloating throughout my whole adult life so I thought it was just IBS or something but it would not go away. Then I was getting pains in my back and sharp pains in my abdomen, which was stopping me from being a mum.
“I couldn’t go on the floor and play with my son and do things with him. Then one day at work my boss asked if I was okay and I just burst out crying and he sent me home and I went to see a doctor.
“I was in tears and begging for help and they just sent me home with painkillers.”
After her shock diagnosis and for the sake of her son, she wanted to move away from Skelmersdale and be closer to her family, who live around the Ormskirk and Burscough areas of West Lancashire.
But this has proven harder than it would first appear, with Delilah running into issues in getting tenancy while her illness advances.
Christina May, Delilah’s mum, said: “Family knew that she would need to be closer to them when she was having flare-ups and would also need someone to care for her, and someone to look after Jake.
“She has a lovely house in Skelmersdale with a good landlord and neighbours, but all of her family live near Jake’s nursery which is off Grimshaw Road and in Burscough.
“Fiercely independent, Delilah didn’t want to move in with me, so it was decided we would look for somewhere nearby and offer six months of rent in advance, but we had no landlords accept her.”
When Delilah was first diagnosed last year, medical professionals initially did not think she had cancer due to her age. But once it was detected, the cancer had already spread throughout her abdomen.
Christina said: “They were unable to work out where the cancer had originated from, so couldn’t figure out what to treat her for. An operation was performed to save her life and chemo was started urgently.
“This gave her her life back and she was able to live her life for most of the time as the dedicated, fun and busy mum that she always wanted to be.”
Still looking for somewhere closer to live and two months after her diagnosis, Christina found a new home in the area that the family thought could be perfect for Delilah. It had two spare rooms, meaning carers could stay over when needed.
Thinking they had found the perfect property, Delilah applied with the offer of six months of rent to be paid in advance. But attempts to secure a property have fallen on deaf ears since November last year.
One email, seen by LancsLive, states that one prospective landlord was ‘looking for a tenant who is in full-time employment’. Delilah’s
situation sees her work part-time at the The Ship Inn at Haskayne as well as receive disability benefits due to her severe illness.
Mum Christina said: “Delilah applied with the advancement in the rent on top of her deposit, as an assurance that she was a tenant who could afford the home and would take care of it.
“As Delilah was unable to work while recovering from her operation, she was on disability benefits. Sadly we were emailed to say that the landlord did not want her as a tenant because she was not working full-time.”
The family claims those letting properties they have spoken to are “not interested in hearing from her employers at The Ship Inn”.
The Ship Inn at Haskayne, near Ormskirk, has hosted a fundraiser to raise money for Delilah to “make memories with her son”.
Delilah said: “That pub treats you like family and I just have absolutely no words for what they’ve decided to do for me.
“They are giving me the chance to make memories with my son and I think it’s great and it’s overwhelming that people want to donate.”
Alongside a photo of Delilah and her son Jake, a pub spokesperson posted: “This is our beautiful Delilah May and her little boy Jake.
“A valued and much loved member of the Ship family and a devoted mother.
“Tragically recently Delilah fell ill and was given the news no young woman should ever hear.
“She was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer. “Delilah is as brave as a lion and is battling with all she has for the sake of her son. Every penny raised on the day will go directly to Delilah and her boy to maybe help them make some precious memories.”