Woman dies after doctors mistook cancer tumor for pregnancy

A 22-year-old U.K. makeup artist died after doctors initially mistook an aggressive form of cancer for pregnancy.

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Demi Wright complained of pain in the side of her back in November 2015.

When she went a maternity ward, a blood test showed high levels of human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG), a hormone emitted during pregnancy, according to Metro UK.

After doctors could not find a baby during an ultrasound, they performed a laparoscopic surgery and discovered Wright had a cancer tumor on her liver.

The disease spread throughout her body.

Her family said she had a benign tumor in her liver as a child that required regular checkups, even when she was teen.

According to the FDA, the hormone HCG can also be present at certain levels if there are certain cancers in the body.

The Huffington Post UK reported that Wright was diagnosed with terminal adenocarcinoma.

"I absolutely broke down and she patted the bed and told me to sit by her and she gave me a big hug and said, 'It's going to be okay,'" her father, Chris Wright, said. "She was a real trooper."

"'It was never going to be treatable as they couldn't find the primary source and it had taken over her body," he said, adding that he never saw his daughter cry or lose her bubbly personality throughout her battle.

BuzzFeed reported that Demi Wright died peacefully in her sleep Feb. 23.

According to an obituary, she was surrounded by her family.

"It needs to be stressed how much courage she had," her boyfriend, Mitch Gregory, told the Daily-Gazette. "She's our inspiration now."

Since Demi Wright's death, her family set up a page to raise funds for UK cancer research.

It has raised over $3,700, surpassing its $2,220 goal.