The family of a healthcare worker who died after a shock cancer diagnosis are asking for help to pay for her funeral.

Ashford grandmother Maryanne Porteous died on Sunday aged just 54, only four months after doctors discovered tumours in her lungs, liver and brain.

Her daughter Melissa Brown said: "It started with a tremor and developed into six massive cluster seizures.

"We rushed her to hospital where it was thought she could have had a stroke as her left-hand side was paralysed.

"However, a scan showed three cancerous tumours in her brain, and we were told that it was the secondary cancer."

Further tests showed that the original cancer was in Ms Porteous's lungs, and had also spread to her liver. She was given a prognosis of two years to live.

Tragically, just a few months later and following extensive radiotherapy and other treatments, she was rushed into hospital with sepsis.

As her condition continued to deteriorate, she was placed on palliative care and her family made the difficult decision to bring her home to Willesborough before she passed away on Sunday.

"The palliative team told us that mum was entering her last days, and so we honoured her wishes and brought her home. Within two days she had passed," Mrs Brown said.

She explained that loss of the mum-of-five and grandmother-of-eight, who spent more than 30 years working within health and social care, left a huge hole in the family.

Unfortunately, that was not the end of their pain, as they soon discovered the funeral plan Ms Porteous had taken out in February had not yet activated.

Additionally, issues with accessing her pension fund and a lack of pay plan options has left the family facing the possibility of having to wait for nine months or longer to be able to lay their mother to rest.

"We have been told that to access mum's pension plan requires probate, and as the fund is over £5,000 that could take as long as nine or even 12 months to happen, even with a will," Mrs Brown said.

"We've exhausted every possible avenue for help; calling family and friends, applying for funeral financing, loans, asking the council for aid but nobody can or will help.

"The funeral home have said that if we must wait they cannot keep her there and would have to transfer her to a hospital mortuary; leaving her there for so long is an absolutely barbaric thought for us all.

"If we had any option but to start a fundraiser we would, but I honestly don't know what else to do."

The fundraiser set up yesterday has already raised more than £1,300 of the £3,500 target.

If you would like to donate to Ms Porteous's funeral, you can do so by clicking here.

Read more: All the latest news from Ashford