A heartbroken father from Staffordshire has described his 22-year-old daughter's 'incredible' fight against a rare and aggressive cancer, saying she remained 'positive and happy right up until the end'.
Initial Symptoms Misdiagnosed
Madi Foster first experienced breathlessness and a lack of energy at the age of 17. However, doctors initially attributed these symptoms to anxiety and depression. In September 2023, Madi was rushed to County Hospital, where medics discovered a 15cm tumour wrapped around her spleen. The teenager, from Marston near Stone, was later diagnosed with adrenocortical carcinoma, an extremely rare and aggressive cancer with a 'one-in-three-million' chance of affecting someone so young.
A Gruelling Three-Year Battle
Madi faced a gruelling three-year battle, undergoing several rounds of chemotherapy and radiotherapy, as well as surgery to remove tumours from her kidneys, liver, spine and lungs. In 2024, she raised more than £70,000 to seek treatment in the US that was not available on the NHS. While two trips to the USA bought her precious time, she was eventually left paralysed following emergency radiotherapy on her spine in November 2025. Madi tragically died at Katherine House Hospice in Stafford earlier this month.
Father's Tribute
Her father, Craig, told the Sentinel: 'You wouldn't want to see your worst enemy suffer through those kind of ordeals. So seeing your daughter, who is your best friend, going through it is just horrific. But she always faced it with determination and a smile on her face.' He added: 'She fought this disease for three years. She went through eight surgeries, two lots of radiotherapy, and six courses of chemotherapy. She just refused to give in. And she handled it with such dignity and grace. Not once did she complain or say, "Why me?" - even though I questioned that many times. She was an incredible fighter.'
The distraught dad continued: 'Life will never be the same without her. She's been the focus of our world for all these years. Now my wife and I get up in the morning feeling at a loose end. We just don't know what to do with ourselves. Our lives revolved around visiting Madi, looking after her, and researching treatments. The disease has engulfed all of our lives.'
A Ray of Sunshine
Craig described Madi as their 'little ray of sunshine', saying she was always positive and happy right up until the end. She was passionate about sports and fitness, loved looking good, and was a 'proper daddy's girl' - like his 'little shadow'. Madi had ambitions to become a primary school teacher when she was younger, and later decided she wanted to go into medicine to help others in her position, completing online courses about medicine and anatomy even while undergoing chemotherapy.
Craig said: 'The impact she had on everyone she met was just incredible. After the news of her passing hit social media, all the comments sections were flooded with people saying what an amazingly fun and kind person she was. Everybody liked her. She really took comfort in that because she went out of her way to be nice to everybody.'
Funeral Arrangements
Madi's funeral will take place on Friday, June 19, with a wake at The Stonehouse Hotel, which everyone is welcome to attend. Craig said Madi was very practical and wrote a list of wishes for her service on her phone. She wanted a big party so people could celebrate her life without being too sad. She chose a local band, Stepping Lane, to play. Madi wanted everyone to wear whatever they felt comfortable in and just have a good time. Craig added: 'We're looking forward to giving her the best send-off we can. But we're dreading it too. It makes it all very real and final. But Madi was a very strong and determined girl. So we will be too.'
Fundraiser for Hospice
An online fundraiser has been set up to raise money for Katherine House Hospice in memory of Madi. More than £420 has already been donated, with people able to boost the total and pay their respects.
