AN Erskine student and her mum have launched a major fundraising effort to help a friend fight the effects of thyroid cancer. 

Kay Richards, 40, was finally diagnosed with the deadly condition after five years of tests by doctors had proven inconclusive.

Despite a successful operation, she is still suffering unexplained severe pain three months later and a mystery lump has developed on her neck.

When close friend Lucy Niven, 45, and her 22-year-old daughter Erin heard of Kay’s plight, they decided to stage a series of sponsored walks to raise £2,000 to fund a full body CT scan at a private hospital in Glasgow.

They are hopeful this specialist treatment will help Kay finally get to the bottom of her medical problems.

Erin, a former pupil at Park Mains High, in Erskine, told The Gazette: “Kay has been my mum’s good friend for a couple of decades but has been really unwell for about five or six years.

“They kept telling her it was anxiety and depression but she felt physically unwell. She eventually discovered she had thyroid cancer earlier this year. She then got her thyroid removed but she is still feeling poorly and has found a lump on her neck.”

The mother-and-daughter team aim to walk a total of 408 miles, which is the distance from the family home in Erskine to Guildford, Surrey, where Erin is studying.

Erin added: “Kay was told the cancer was gone but she still feels very ill.

“Me and my mum really wanted to do something to help. We’re walking 204 miles each over six weeks to raise money. We’ve already reached our £2,000 fundraising target, which is amazing.

“This will pay for the scan, which costs £1,742, and the consultation on top of that, which is between £150 and £300. Any extra money raised will go towards further treatment if she needs it or, if not, to a cancer charity.

“We should never have had to go down this route but we want to get Kay the answers she needs.”

Kay, who has a toddler son named Kai, underwent surgery at the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital, in Glasgow, in July to remove her thyroid.

However, she is still in constant pain and has been trying in vain to find out why.

Kay said: “Lucy and Erin have done an amazing thing for me and I am in shock that so much has been raised in such a short space of time.

“I’ve been overwhelmed by it all and I am so grateful people have donated their money at this difficult time.

“I am not blaming anyone but I want to find what’s causing the pain I wake up with every day. I also want to find out why I now have a lump on my neck.

“I believe a full head-to-toe body scan would finally help me get the answers I’m looking for.”

A CT scan takes multiple X-ray readings and allows a doctor to see inside the body without surgery.

To support Erin and Lucy’s fundraising efforts, visit https://uk.gofundme.com and search for Guildford to Glasgow for Kay.