Popular Australian writer Natalie Fornasier has died at the age of 28 after battling melanoma.
Popular Australian writer Natalie Fornasier has died at the age of 28 after battling melanoma – shortly after sharing a reminder not to let life pass her by.
Ms Fornasier of Sydney passed away on 14 January. She was diagnosed with stage III metastatic melanoma at the age of 20 and devoted most of her life to raising awareness of the dangers of skin cancer.
Her fatal diagnosis was made after she noticed that a mole on her toe had changed shape.
In December, she revealed to her 35,000 Instagram followers that her cancer had become terminal by sharing the heartbreaking news about palliative care.
“The last four months have been brutal. At the end of July, I received the news that my cancer was already incurable, and I had a few months to live, ”she wrote.
“I cried myself hoarse because of the fear of death. I screamed about the children I would never have, about old age, about my friends, about the life I was supposed to live.
Madame Fornasier was able to walk to the altar with her husband Alexandre.
The 28-year-old opened up to her 35,000 followers about her battle with cancer.
“At 28…everything about it feels wrong.
“The conversations that I had to have, the plans that I had to make, where my thoughts went and still go – all this is unnatural. It hurts.
“I fell into oblivion, mourning (husband) Alexander, the broken heart and the love that I had to leave – for the sake of the life we were supposed to have. I cried for my family.
“My only goal in life was love. I have experienced an all-consuming love – something so deeply precious, powerful and soul-changing that I know that even if I leave this earth, this energy and love will never die.”
Her latest Instagram post on December 21 features a picture of a bouquet of flowers she was given at the hospital and a reminder that time is precious.
“Right now, it’s one minute at a time for me — and I’m so grateful that it’s still possible.
“If my time here has taught me anything, it’s that time flows like a river,” she said.
“You can’t see the beginning or the end, but you can feel it – so you’d better make the most of it.”
The writer has dedicated her life to raising awareness of the dangers of skin cancer.
Ms. Fornasier married her partner Alex while battling an illness.
It happened in the fourth week of Ms. Fornasier’s palliative care, and she was still over three weeks away.
“It’s absurd that it was so long ago – time is so fluid, it seems that nothing has passed, but the calendar says otherwise,” she wrote then.
Ms Fornasier went into detail about the simple things about her home that she missed before going into detail about the dire effects of melanoma on her body.
“I can no longer walk without assistive devices, my legs are filled with fluid, my whole body hurts 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and the tumor load is very high,” she wrote.
“My pain is slowly building up, day by day I can feel my body slow down just a little bit more, which is so weird to watch, especially when you can feel it physically too.”
“However, these yellow walls with creaky old doors are the best place for me – safe here (and complete with all the medicines I need!).
“People often misunderstand palliative care and what it means, but basically the burden of medical care is taken off Alexander’s shoulders and he is cared for by nurses and doctors who only want you to be pain free.”
The 28-year-old has opened up to her followers about her battle with cancer.
The writer announced to her followers in December that her cancer had become terminal.
Those close to her created GoFundMe for Ms Fornasier’s family and husband before her death.
It raised over $110,000.
Ms Fornasier was only 20 years old when she woke up one morning to find her legs covered in bruises while on holiday in Greece.
At first, she thought she was sleepwalking until she realized that the birthmark on her toe had changed shape.
Only two weeks after returning home, she was told that she had advanced melanoma.
She had her toe amputated and the lymph nodes in her groin removed.
Ms Fornasier, who is an ambassador for a social media campaign called #CallTimeonMelanoma, urged young women to check their skin and be more careful when sunbathing.
Ms. Fornasier said she was grateful to have experienced love with her husband Alexander.
