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Woman, 35, who went to the dentist with 'wisdom tooth trouble' given months to live
by Lee Grimsditch · Manchester Evening NewsA 35 year old woman who believed she just had severe toothache was left devastated after it turned out to be symptoms of something far more sinister. Laura Parker originally consulted her dentist, suspecting an issue with her wisdom tooth, only for the pain to persist along with unusual bruising.
Her friend Becky Biddulph said: "She went in with a toothache and she didn't feel very well. She thought she had an infection in the gums. But she kept bruising a lot easier, and the bruises weren't going away.
"It was quite minor things, and it was only because she really didn't feel very well that she pushed for the GP appointment. That's where she found the unfortunate news."
Laura was sadly diagnosed with leukaemia last December. She embarked on extensive treatment, which initially seemed promising.
Becky said: "She had three rounds of chemotherapy and radiotherapy and it seemed to be going okay. She responded quite well to it."
Sadly, her condition dramatically declined, reports the Liverpool Echo.
Becky said: "Then things took a really quick turn for the worst. It turned out that the cancer had spread into her bones and she was given her terminal diagnosis.
"The cancer was so aggressive that the tumour in a bone had grown to the size of a size three football. She ended up having that amputated in August. She's now on end-of-life care and I've just taken each and every day as it comes."
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Laura has now been given only months to live by her doctors. Yet, Becky is in awe of her friend's resilience.
She shared: "Laura's one of the most down to earth people you ever meet. She's so generous and so loving. After she received the diagnosis, she's been nothing but positive. She doesn't know when her last day is going to be with how aggressive her illness is.
"While everyone's been upset, she's been an actual ray of sunshine throughout all of it. She comes in to work quite often and has a cup of coffee and a bite to eat. The running joke is us going, my God, Laura, you look better than what we all do.'"
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In a bid to support others facing similar battles as Laura, Becky organised a unique event. On Saturday afternoon, she held a '24 hour clubbathon' at the Soccer Dome where they both work, featuring dance workouts in the dark, complete with disco lights and glowsticks. More details about Laura's JustGiving fundraiser can be found here.
The following day saw a family fun day. Proceeds from these events are being donated to Blood Cancer UK.
Becky said: "I'd seen so many cases of children being diagnosed with leukaemia, so when Laura was diagnosed, I was taken aback. I then found out that blood cancer is in the top five most diagnosed cancers across the whole.
"It was a huge shock as Laura's 35 herself. That's why we came up with the idea of the clubbathon in order to raise awareness, raise funds and get Laura's story shared as much as possible."
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Becky reveals that Laura, together with upwards of 60 participants, joined in the event last weekend, with hundreds of people joining them at the family fun day. As it stands, over £11,000 has been raised for their chosen charity.
The level of support has astounded Becky, who said: "It was supposed to be a few instructors trying to raise a little bit of money, and it's turned into a massive community. None of us are athletes. We're just normal people getting together, driven by Laura's inspiration."
More details about Laura's JustGiving fundraiser can be found here.