A YOUNG mum diagnosed with one of the world’s rarest forms of cancer has lost her brave battle with the disease.
Stephanie Thomson, 35, passed away after fighting for almost two years against extra skeletal renal rhabdoid tumour – a condition so uncommon that medics had never seen or treated it before.
Heartfelt tributes have been paid to the much-loved mum-of-one who endured surgery, chemotherapy and radiotherapy so that she could spend more time with her loved ones, including her beloved son Logan.
The award-winning salon manager from Paisley was supported through her final weeks by the family and friends who were by her side throughout her courageous fight.
Stephanie Thomson (Image: supplied)
Stephanie’s mum Yvonne said her heart was broken after her daughter’s passing on Saturday.
She said: “I lost my amazing, gorgeous, courageous, thoughtful, strong warrior daughter to the dreaded cancer.
"She put up the biggest fight of her life and was determined to beat it. I had the privilege to call her my Steph. My heart will be forever broken. RIP, my girl."
Stephanie’s life changed forever when she received her shock diagnosis as medics told her she had the condition estimated to affect just one in every 325 million people.
She previously told the Glasgow Times how she was unable to access medical trials because of how rare the illness was.
Stephanie said: “Biopsies had come back saying it was an extrarenal rhabdoid tumour, which is a children’s paediatric cancer that you normally find in the kidneys.
“They explained that I would need to start an 18-week intense course of chemotherapy from the following week. I was so shocked.”
After initially being told treatment had gone well, Stephanie’s cancer returned and she was told it was terminal.
She added: “Six weeks later I went for a post-op, just an ordinary chest X-ray, and it showed the cancer was all over the middle of my chest and that it was in my lung again.
Stephanie Thomson (Image: supplied)
“Doctors arranged for a CT scan and that confirmed that the cancer was now terminal because of the amount that was present.
“Three weeks into the chemotherapy, I started getting really bad headaches and sickness. I spoke to my team, they arranged another scan and discovered that I now had another spread to my brain.”
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Tributes have flooded in on social media since Stephanie’s passing.
One friend wrote: "Absolutely devastated to see you gained your wings but you put up one hell of a fight. You were one of the kindest souls I had ever met, always helping others.
"Thoughts are with all your friends and family."
Another posted: “You were such a strong amazing person and I always loved being around you. You were such a pleasure to be with, always happy and smiling.
"You were dealt such a hard card out the pack with your cancer diagnosis, but you fought with so much strength and determination. You will be missed beyond measure."
A third said: “From the first day I met you over six years ago, we just clicked. We were out every weekend basically after work and you were always the life and soul of the party – you always brought the laughs.
"You made me feel like family with your heart of gold. Watching you over the last few years, I can’t believe what a warrior you were and the bravery you showed to the very end.”
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