Woman, 21, dies after 'almost impossible' diagnosis

A 21-year-old woman has died after an "almost impossible" cancer diagnosis. Alexandra (Alex) Angeles Caycho, 21, started suffering with what she thought was a rugby injury before she was diagnosed with stage three pancreatic cancer and was treated at Liverpool's Clatterbridge Cancer Centre.

Alex moved from Peru to Lancaster in 2021, where she studied art and design at the university in Lancashire. In February last year, her life changed forever when she started suffering from pains in her back and knees.

Over the next few weeks Alex’s health started to deteriorate, her eyes had turned yellow and she couldn’t sit for long. Her boyfriend, Dylan, took her to A&E where she was told she could have a problem with her liver.

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Speaking about her illness earlier this year, Alex said: “It just spiralled from there. In June I ended up in hospital with minor symptoms, I was vomiting, had a fever and anaemia.

"I stayed in hospital for eight weeks, my symptoms were not changing. The sickness went away but then I had a bad stomach, blood was appearing and I was throwing up blood.

"I was getting infection after infection, every time one cleared another one settled somewhere. In that time I found out I had stage four cancer, and it had spread to my liver. I was transferred to Clatterbridge Cancer Centre in Liverpool.

“It was a big shock to all of us. We didn’t think it was going to be that, I had sickness bugs before but we didn’t for one second think my symptoms would be this.

"It was terrifying, being stage three sounds so much nicer than stage four because stage four, well that is it. All the signs pointed to cancer but because this type of cancer is so rare in young people, the doctors were arguing with each other saying it wasn’t possible for me to have it, yet here I am, facing a battle that no one should ever have to fight.”

Alex, who graduated from university this year and planned to do a masters degree, was discharged from hospital to spend time at home with her mum, Linda, and Dylan. She returned for chemotherapy just days later but it was stopped when she threw up blood.

About this, she previously said: "They [the doctors] decided to pause everything and put me back in the ward. I was there for two weeks and they told me I had internal bleeding from the cancer, they said there was nothing much they could do and that I have days to weeks left to live.

"I've tried to stay strong and to keep fighting with everything I have, but unfortunately my journey is coming to an end. I'm too tired most days to do anything; I suffer with swelling, the swelling has got so bad I have gained ten kilos of fluid and my body is too weak to deal with that immense weight gain.

"I suffer from back pain. Most days I spend my time in bed trying to eat and drink water if I can."

Alex's final wish was to be able to go home to Peru to see her dad, grandparents, aunts and uncles for one last time and to spend her final moments in a place where she "feels at peace". However, the cost of Alex being able to get home in an air ambulance was estimated to be around £150,000, which the family could not afford - so, together with her friends, she set up an online fundraiser.

Earlier this month, an update posted on the GoFundMe page explained that, because of Alex's condition, the flight may need to operate at a lower altitude, which increases fuel consumption and may require additional stops. The fundraising target was then increased to £200,000 to cover these extra expenses with any additional funds going towards other costs such as for the funeral.

On September 1, Alex started her journey back to Peru which involved four stops. Two days later, an update on the GoFundMe page confirmed that Alex had arrived safely home in Peru and was surrounded by her loved ones "in the place she wanted to be most".

The M.E.N reports that, in an update on the GoFundMe online fundraising page posted today, Dylan said: "Struggling to put it into words, Alex passed away at 12.30am local time on the 14th September with loved ones by her side. Alex's family and close friends ask for privacy at this moment in time."