A young County Armagh woman has been diagnosed with terminal cancer just weeks after giving birth to a baby girl.
Mum-of-four Sabrina Cahoon has been told she has less than two years to live.
And now her best friend Joanne McNeill has started a GoFundMe appeal to try and raise money to allow Sabrina to travel to Japan with her two sons before she dies.
The 45-year-old has always wanted to visit the country and Joanne wants to raise enough to fulfil her wish and give her sons lasting memories with their mum.
The Craigavon woman began to experience severe back pain while pregnant with Billie and had been back and forward to hospital.
She was finally diagnosed with pheumonia and, a few weeks later, at 30 weeks pregnant, she was admitted to Craigavon Area Hospital.
Sabrina, mum to Kenneth, Carrie, Dylan and Billie, became very unwell and was transferred to the Intensive Care Unit.
On June 17, 31 weeks into her pregnancy, Sabrina was told her baby was going to be born and they needed needed to deliver her as the blood flow to her baby was slowing down and Sabrina was very ill.
Said Joanne: “Sabrina was then put into an induced coma. She had CT scans and the doctors said they are so glad they did not go into the lung in surgery as they knew there was something wrong.
“They transferred to the Royal Victoria Hospital to a lung specialist for them to have a further look into see what was going on. At this stage they suspected cancer and also needed to drain the fluid from her lung, while her new baby stayed in Craigavon Area Hospital.”
On June 29, they took Sabrina to theatre and put a drain into her lung and took a biopsy.
A few days later she was moved back to Craigavon to be with her new baby so she could spend time with her whilst waiting on the results.
On July 5, the worst possible news was delivered.
Sabrina was diagnosed with Synovial Sarcoma on her lung with a possibility on her liver.
Said Joanne: “This is terminal and the outlook on time isn’t great either. They have said it will be one-and-a-half years at most but they don’t think Sabrina will last that long.
“Sabrina’s lifelong dream was to take her two sons to Japan. My plea is to raise some money to give her her last wish and her boys some memories to treasure of their last few months with their mum. Even the smallest donation will be greatly appreciated.
“If Sabrina doesn’t get to live out her wish, whatever is donated will be used towards her funeral and whatever expenses arise with her young family.
“She’s one of the most caring loving people in this world and was definitely the last person who ever deserved any bit of this. I’d love to tell her in time that her wish is going to come true, that she will get to experience one last bit of happiness with her boys.”
If you can help and would like to donate please click the link here.
