THE parents of a woman who has died after a five-year cancer battle have described her as a “force of nature”.
Monique-Lianne Buckingham, of Colchester, died with her parents by her side on November 3 at the age of 26.
The former St Thomas More’s pupil endured 92 rounds of chemotherapy after receiving her diagnosis while studying at the University of Lincoln in 2017.
The devastating cancer spread all over her abdominal cavity – including her uterus, womb and ovaries.
The full extent of Monique’s cancer was discovered after she underwent a 14-hour long HIPEC surgery, which uses heated chemotherapy to attack the cancerous cells.
In late 2021, the young woman received the devastating news her cancer had caused a bowel obstruction and she was given a terminal diagnosis.
Her parents were trying to raise £500,000 for their daughter to enter clinical trials in the US after doctors in the UK put her on an end-of-life care programme.
Her mother, Anne, 62, said: “We believed in our hearts that she would get through it, that she would come home.
“I just want her here, I would give anything to have her with us.”
Brave Monique blogged her cancer journey in a bid to inspire hope into others treading a similar, uncertain path.
She shared milestone moments and images of her reality with the 54,000 followers she racked up on the Instagram account, @TheLifeOfMique.
“I feel sad because she wanted to do so much more,” added Anne, who told of her daughter’s fun-loving personality.
“She should have lived to do that, to help more people.
"She had a youthfulness in her which she loved to share with our grandchildren.
"Our daughter lived to make other people happy and bring smiles to their faces."
Monique was raised alongside her brother, Christian, and sister, Michelle, in what is a close knit family.
Anne lives with husband Paul, Monique’s father, in their family home in Elmstead Road, Colchester.
Paul, 62, a taxi driver, said: “All she wanted was to come home and be with her dogs.
“She had a beautiful smile and would always listen to others, no matter what she was going through.”
The father revealed family-orientated Monique dreamt of being free from her cancer so she could travel to Gibraltar.
He reminisced on family holidays towing their caravan to Spain to soak up the sun.
Paul added: “Monique was loyal, she was loving. We are so proud of her.
“Life will never be the same again.”
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