Parents Fighting Cancer Battle To Raise Two Young Girls

Heroic Parents Battling Cancer Fight On Inspired By The Love Of Their Children

Parents who were both diagnosed with life-threatening cancer have spoken about how the love they share for their children is helping them battle their illnesses.

In February 2014, Shelby Offrink, 31, was diagnosed with a rare and aggressive form of cancer called intramedullary glioblastoma.

Less than six months later, Shelby's husband, Ben, discovered that he had Hodgkins lymphoma for the third time, 20 years after he went into remission.

The couple want to show their two daughters, four-year-old Maeve and 18-month-old Hazel, that there's still a lot to love about life, even given the devastating circumstances.

Ben told TODAY.com: "We voice how much we love each other as much as we can every day. Our love is more apparent than ever and with the girls too. When Maeve tells me she loves me now, my heart melts more than ever before."

Shelby, who is now paralysed from the waist down due to radiation to her spinal cord, has decided that she does not want to know how much time she has left with her family.

"Most of the time we just take things day by day and understand that we have a limited time with each other so we're doing the best we can with what we have," Ben said.

He is currently taking part in a drug trial after a failed round of chemotherapy.

A crowdfunding page, started by family friend Elizabeth Malartsick, has already raised £114,000 to help towards Shelby's medical expenses. Any money that is left will be put aside for the children.

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