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In September, Herlisa Palmer received the most devastating news of her life.

The 23-year-old was diagnosed with hepatocellular carcinoma, a type of liver cancer. Since then, she has been actively trying to find a donor for a transplant surgery, in an attempt to save her life.

"Nothing has come through just yet, and the reason why I can't find a donor in my family is because most of the persons are diabetic and they don't recommend those people," Palmer told THE STAR. "So I'm just hunting and pray God works a miracle because the insurance that I have won't cover the entire procedure."

She revealed that at the start of the year, she was feeling agonising pain but associated it with her menses.

"I thought it was endometriosis, but upon further investigation I found out it was cancer," she said as she fought to hold back her tears.

The Wakefield, Trelawny native, who now resides in New York, told THE STAR that since her diagnosis, she has been unable to care for her five-year-old son as she is now unemployed.

"My mom has to be the one taking care of him," she said. "I'm also staying in a nursing home right now because I can't afford to pay my rent any more. No doctor wants to sign off for me to go back to work until like after a year, so my whole life changed." Palmer said that she has been in and out off hospital.

It can be fatal

"All my money is used up. I need help for food and medical expenses and especially the liver transplant because it can be fatal and I don't want to leave my son," she lamented.

Dr Jephthah Ford said the surgery is very effective and should be done urgently as it is the only thing standing between life and death.

"Doing the surgery is the only way she will have a chance to live. Once the liver is transplanted, which is the most important organ in the body, it can be well appreciated that she has a support system," said Ford. He also informed THE STAR that the process of finding a donor may be a lengthy one, and during that period the patient should be secluded from exposure to viruses.

"To match it is very difficult but it can be found, especially if the person is in an area where a lot of persons are dying. The donor has to have the same blood group, and a whole lot of other things that should match before a transplant can be done," he said. "How long the person can live all depends on how much the cancer is spreading. It is also important that she is extremely careful so as to not be exposed to any viruses at all because the support mechanism of the liver is very important."

Persons who wish to assist may contact Palmer at 1-(347) 433-3173 or donate to her GoFundMe at