Sydney writer and influencer Natalie Fornasier has tragically died after a long battle with metastatic melanoma.
The Sydney Morning Herald confirmed the 28-year-old had passed away on January 14.
Her obituary notice said a funeral service would be held and extended to friends and family on February 3.
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They added: “Natalie wished for attendees not to wear black.”
Fornasier was diagnosed at just 20 years old after spotting a dark mole on her toe that had changed shape.
Fornasier subsequently dedicated her life to raising skin cancer awareness.
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But eight years after her initial trip to the doctor, the Sydney-based writer revealed her illness had become terminal.
In a heartbreaking post penned on December 8, she wrote: “The last four months have been brutal. At the end of July, I received the news that my cancer was now terminal and had months left to live.
“It’s a word I had been skating around for years, a word that terrified me because I always knew it could be a possibility.”
She added as her health began to decline, she sank into the ‘deepest hole of depression’ as she leant on her husband, Alexander, for support.
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She continued: “I’ve fallen into oblivion crying for Alexander, the heartbreak, and the love I would be leaving - for the life we were supposed to have.”
Fornasier also shared a GoFundMe page for her husband and family, so they could ‘grieve without financial worry for what’s around the corner’.
A couple of weeks later on December 28, Fornasier wrote her last Instagram update, revealing to her 35,000 followers that she had been placed in palliative care for four weeks.
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She revealed that since being relocated to hospital her body has become increasingly sore, and she couldn't walk without assistance.
But, despite her situation becoming dire, the 28-year-old remained in high spirits.
She wrote: “If my time here has taught me anything - it’s that time moves like a river.
"You’re unable to see the beginning or the end but you can feel it - so you better make the most of it.
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“Even if that means napping next to your loved one for hours so long as you’re together. I’m also thankful for the jolly trolley which I didn’t know existed until I got here.”
Featured Image Credit: natalie.fornasier/InstagramTopics: News, Australia, Cancer, Mental Health