A SINGLE mum suffering from terminal cancer says she is terrified about what will happen to her daughters when she dies.
Nina Lowe, 46, was diagnosed with breast cancer five years ago – and in January this year she received the devastating news that she had just months to live.
The 46-year-old’s daughters Sofia, 10, and Lilia, 15, are her “world” – which is why she’s spending her final days preparing a life for them after she dies
The Edinburgh mum was first diagnosed with cancer in 2017, but despite rounds after rounds of treatment it spread, and she is now in palliative care
Nina says she is worried about how her daughters Lilia, 15, and Sofia, 10, will cope after she’s gone.
She told Trending In The News: “I would be utterly heartbroken if the girls had to move away from everything they know, just after losing me. These thoughts are tormenting me.
“As a single parent, my only worry is my girls.”
While the Edinburgh mum admitted she’s not “great at accepting help from people”, she decided to start crowdfunding.
Nina didn’t want her daughters to have to shift from their home to live with their dad straight after she died, so she wanted to try to raise £7,200 so he could live rent-free while he found work in the area.
But, in just four days, nearly £46,000 had been donated to her GoFundMe.
“I am still in absolute shock. I have been crying happy, shocked tears.”
Nina said her best friend is the beneficiary and she would make sure the extra money – more than £38,000 – is kept safe for the girls.
She hoped the money would be split between them, and they would have access to it when they are 18.
“I literally was embarrassed about having nothing to leave them in a monetary way, so this has just given me so much peace.
“I am hoping they will keep it ’til they are a bit older and use it as a deposit on a flat.”
Nina was first diagnosed with cancer in 2017, and, despite a mastectomy, and chemotherapy and radiation treatments, more cancer was found in her lungs the following year.
She continued treatments until this year, when she was told they were not working.
The cancer has since spread to her kidney.
“The prognosis has become worse, and I don’t want to think about how short that may be, as I have to think about my two young girls.
“But I have a feeling it’s not very long left.”
She is now receiving palliative care through St Columba’s Hospice, but said her greatest concern has always been her girls – who she descibes as “incredibly different” individuals, who are “both extremely arty and musical”.
“I get so sad seeing how my cancer has affected them, but they are both incredibly strong.
“I will be heartbroken to leave them. Knowing I now have some money to leave them has just really, really helped.”
All the extra money raised will be split between Sofia and Lilia, and kept in a trust until they are 18
