Sarah Armstrong, 22, started to spot random bruises all over her body.
Sarah Armstrong, 22, started to spot random bruises all over her body.
Sarah Armstrong was going about her daily life when she spotted an unusual outbreak of bruises covering her body.
The 22-year-old British health care assistant, from Liverpool in northwest England, who spent her days helping others decided to go visit her GP.
But one week later she suffered a stroke after being diagnosed with a rare cancer condition.
Her childhood friend Danielle Johnson, also 22, said Ms Armstrong thought she might have caught the flu while working at the hospital or the bruising was from accidentally banging her arms.
"Sarah begin to come out in bruises and was assuming she was banging herself. She decided to go the doctors which she was then advised to get her bloods done," Ms Johnson said in a GoFundMe page.
Sarah, mother to a two-year-old girl, then visited her GP.
On the same day, Ms Armstrong was told she needed to go to emergency straight away.
On January 24, the mother-of-one was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukaemia — a cancer of the myeloid line of blood cells.
She immediately started chemotherapy treatment and despite receiving the devastating news, Ms Johnson said her beloved friend remained "very positive" and "strong".
"She was told she was going to be having chemo for seven days on 22 hour bags," Ms Johnson said.
"She started her treatment and was so positive and took it on as it were nothing."
But on the third day, Ms Armstrong's condition took a turn for the worst.
Ms Johnson told the Liverpool Echothat on February 1 she received a message from Ms Armstrong's partner Joel who revealed she had suffered a stroke and died.
"She was full of life. She was really positive, she did everything for everyone," a heartbroken Ms Johnson told the publication.
She was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukaemia - a cancer of the myeloid line of blood cells. Photo / Supplied
"She was always laughing and she always made everyone laugh. She was an amazing mum, she just always put everyone first."
A GoFundMe page has now been set up to help pay for Ms Armstrong's funeral following her sudden death.
"Sarah was a beautiful 22-year-old girl who was dedicated to looking after others working within the NHS," the page set up by Ms Johnson reads.
"Not only was she loved by her patients and work colleagues but by everyone she met.
"Sarah has a loving boyfriend Joel and a beautiful two-year-old daughter who will have her own guardian angel watching over her."
One week after her diagnosis, the health care assistant from Liverpool in the UK suffered a stroke and died. Photo / Supplied
Ms Johnson said that her friend wanted the images and story to be shared to raise awareness and hopefully help others catch the rare cancer sooner.
Nearly 3000 people have shared the page, while leaving messages of support.
"From a fellow health care assistant. All of those people you helped, this is not much in return but hopefully it will be a tiny bit of something to help your family. Rest well my love," one woman wrote.
"There are no words of comfort for the family's loss, at this terrible loss of Sarah," said another.
So far more than NZ$11,500 has been raised for Armstrong and her family.
