'My fiancée thought she had chest infection - she died 10 days after diagnosis'

'My fiancée thought she had chest infection - she died 10 days after diagnosis' Molly Jenner, 25, collapsed at home A performer has passed away just 10 days after receiving a diagnosis, having initially believed she was suffering from a chest infection. Molly Jenner, 25, had been fit and healthy until she collapsed at home in April. Following an emergency dash to York Hospital, a chest X-ray uncovered a 10cm mass in her chest, which was subsequently identified as a tumour caused by Lymphoma blood cancer. Lymphoma is an uncommon cancer that affects the white blood cells that help you fight infection, according to the NHS. Six weeks before her devastating diagnosis, Molly, from York, had developed a cough, but assumed it was a bug she had caught from work. Paying tribute to Molly, her fiancée Lily Monarch, 29, described the performer as "so optimistic and funny". Lily, a musician herself, said: "She had so much care to give. She lit up the life of every single person she came across. "This was the first health thing she ever had. Up until this point, she never even needed a prescription for anything. I'm heartbroken, the circumstances kill me every time I think about them." The couple, both originally from Leeds, had relocated to York after studying in the city and had been together since January 2022, having briefly met at one of Lily's gigs. Molly later joined Lily on stage as part of her act, Monarkki, portraying Lily's sidekick character, Widget. The premise was that Molly would only say "widget", but everyone on stage could understand her. Lily said "it was everything" to perform alongside Molly. Molly started feeling unwell in early April, believing she may have had a chest infection contracted through her job at the Cat Gallery in Low Petergate, York. However, on April 18 she collapsed and was rushed by ambulance to York Hospital. A chest X-ray uncovered a large mass on her chest. Over the following six weeks, she underwent several biopsies which, according to Lily, repeatedly returned as "inconclusive". She said: "She couldn't lie down due to the mass impacting her breathing and making her cough uncontrollably." Devastatingly, on May 21, she was diagnosed with cancer and arrangements were made for her to begin chemotherapy on June 1. Lily said: "She took the news quite well she was upset at first, when I got called to the hospital the day she got the diagnosis she was in a side room and she cried in my arms. But after getting the emotion out we started to form a plan on how she was going to beat the cancer as we were always a couple that balanced each other out during times of adversity. After that she had this truly inspirational determination to beat the cancer and she wasn't going to let it hold her back." Tragically, just 10 days later, on May 31, she passed away — the day before she was due to begin chemotherapy. The couple shared a passion for Finnish music, particularly the country's 2023 Eurovision act, Käärijä, and had dreams of travelling to Finland to perform there this year. "It just felt right having her by my side," Lily said of Molly. "We were getting ready to go over to Finland and just have this adventure of a lifetime together." Lily described Molly as being "very interested in celebrity culture" and said she "adored Taylor Swift". Lily said: "I could talk to her about various things I was doing or things I wanted to do in shows that would evoke emotions in the audience and she just understood. I feel she was the only person I could really talk to about that, who really understood." Molly had been the sole breadwinner for the household, Lily revealed. Currently out of work while pursuing opportunities in the creative sector as a social media manager, video editor or stage manager, Lily admitted she had struggled to secure employment. Molly's tragic passing has left Lily "in ruins" financially, prompting her to launch a GoFundMe page to help "rebuild her life". At the time of writing, more than £2,870 of the £3,300 target had already been raised. Lily said: "I'm overwhelmed by the support that I've been shown on social media and on the GoFundMe page already. I think that just goes to show the many people whose lives were lit up by Molly – everyone loved her."