‘Beautiful’ mum, 27, dies of rare cancer weeks after being given all-clear

A “beautiful” and “bubbly” mum died from cancer at the age of just 27 weeks after doctors gave her the all-clear.

Tragic Ashleigh Whitaker was told she was finally free of the rare condition Ewing sarcoma in December, leaving her “excited” about the future.

Fiancé Mitchell Antrobus, 30, said had even started looking at wedding dresses to wear on their big day but joy soon turned to despair when she was rushed to hospital on February 2 after feeling unwell.

Within hours doctors found that her cancer had returned and she died just one day after being admitted to hospital.

The hairstylist from Haslingden, Lancashire, leaves behind Mitchell and their 10-year-old son Jordan.

Heartbroken Mitchell said: “Ashleigh wanted so much from life and had so much more to give, but it was cruelly taken away.

“It doesn’t feel real that she’s gone, it’s like a nightmare. I can’t do anything but feel broken.

“Ashleigh was the most caring and loving person you could ever meet.

“She was the greatest mum and her child meant the world to her.”

Ashleigh was diagnosed with Ewing sarcoma, a rare cancer that affects bones or the tissues around bones, in January 2020.

She underwent chemotherapy and radiotherapy at Clatterbridge Cancer Hospital in Liverpool, raising £5,000 for the centre while she was being treated.

After being given the all-clear the bride-to-be started looking at wedding dresses and searching for house for the family.

Mitchell said: “She was excited about the future. It was all completely out of the blue.

“She was getting anxious and worked up and her colour started changing.

“When her breathing got worse we got a doctor out, he knew something wasn’t right straight away.

“We got her to the hospital and then found out she had relapsed. She was covered head to toe in cancer.”

Mitchell said Ashleigh first started feeling poorly on January 30 before being rushed to hospital on February 2, where she died a day later surrounded by loved ones.

Her devastated fiancé has started a foundation called The Ashleigh Whittaker Foundation.

He said: “After going through this ordeal I have found there isn’t enough support out there for people like me or for grieving children.

“That’s why I have set this up foundation, to try to help others in my situation. We’re really targeting partners and children who have lost a loved one.

“I want to make myself available to talk to people and let them know I’m there but hopefully, in the long run, it can be bigger than that. I hope it will be a huge support centre to help people all over the country.”

Mitchell has also appealed for donations to a crowdfunding page set up to help pay for Ashleigh’s funeral.