Mother told she had tennis elbow now diagnosed with terminal cancer Jill Goodrum, 46, went to GP unable to lift her arms above shoulder level Mother of five from Plymouth diagnosed with tennis elbow and sent home Last month, found lump near breast and told she has eight years to live Doctors claim 'tennis elbow' two years ago was sign of lymph node cancer A mother-of-five who was dismissed from her GP's surgery with tennis elbow has now been diagnosed with terminal breast cancer. Jill Goodrum, 46, was told to ignore the pain she felt lifting her arms, described by her doctor as a minor strain. But last month she went into hospital after finding a bone-like lump the size of a rib near her breast - and was told she has less than eight years to live. Distraught: Jill Goodrum, 46, is warning others to watch out for signs themselves after she was wrongly diagnosed with tennis elbow after already contracting cancer in her lymph nodes Following biopsies, mammograms and full body scans, hospital staff found the disease has been spreading in her lymph nodes and liver for years and that there is nothing they can do to cure her. And they revealed the tennis elbow diagnosed two years ago was in fact a symptom of aggressive cancer in the lymph nodes - which could have been stopped. 'It is just horrific,' said Mrs Goodrum, mother to James, 29, Lyndsey, 26, Jemma, 19, Amy, eight, and Grace, three. 'If I'd caught it earlier there may have been a cure. As it stands I just have to accept my lot. When I found out it was terminal I sat in the car park at the hospital for about an hour unable to let go of the wall I was holding onto. Nothing is the same for me now. 'My world has completely changed - I've lost me, my identity, my life as I knew it.' Mrs Goodrum, who has four grandchildren, visited her GP in 2011 after her elbow became unbearably sore and tender. Six weeks ago, back in hospital, she was told the cancer is now too aggressive and invasive to treat. Trying to be positive: Mrs Goodrum says she wants to focus on the good points of her life and spend time with her children, including three-year-old Grace (left in right-hand picture) and eight-year-old Amy (right) She was predicted eight years to live - but that was before the disease was found in her liver. She was referred to a physiotherapist several months ago after the pain in her shoulder became unbearable. She said: 'I was referred to a physio as I had unbearable pain in my shoulder which I was told was a trapped nerve in my neck - I couldn't lift my hand. This turned out to be nerve damage caused by the cancer. When I was diagnosed it was pretty traumatic as I was told I had secondary breast cancer. One month into treatment Mrs Goodrum, from Plymouth, is grappling to come to terms with the ramifications of the shocking blunder - and stay strong for her children. Weakened after undergoing three different kinds of chemotherapy - one of which gave her an allergic reaction - she has had to ask her mother to move in, and could not attend her daughters' nativity. 'It's a very different world now,' she said. 'I'm 46 and I'm never going to get old and the fact that I have two small children is very hard to deal with too. Gruelling: Eight weeks into treatment, Mrs Goodrum has told how she could not go to see her daughters' nativity and has had to ask her mother to move in. She has to be strong for her children and grandchildren 'I'm never going to see them grow up. My children are going to lose their mummy. My older children are obviously traumatised by my diagnosis but they are very supportive. My mum now lives with us through the week to look after me and help take the children to school and pick them up. 'This week Amy and Grace were performing in their nativities and I wasn't well enough to go. 'I've watched every single thing they have both done. That is a very real consequence of terminal cancer. Last week, as the treatment intensifies, Mrs Goodrum asked her mother to shave her head. 'Me and my mum just wept the whole way through,' she said. My littlest ones got especially upset when I lost my hair. They told me that I looked like a daddy. 'It's been very hard for them because their mummy doesn't look the same and is very ill. They are sad that their mummy is not like she was. Despite what has happened, Mrs Goodrum says she does not blame doctors for misdiagnosing her but wants to warn others to check themselves more regularly so they don't make the same mistake. She said: 'I don't think the doctors could have really foreseen the cancer. I bear no ill-feeling towards them. 'If I had known sooner it may not have travelled but I'm concentrating on trying to raise awareness of cancer as it's affected my life unbelievably. 'I want to ensure people check themselves for lumps and bumps more regularly so families don't have to go through what I'm going through.' Suffering from an aggressive form of the disease, Mrs Goodrum says she wants to enjoy the time she has left and warn people to be aware of stories like hers. She has now set out to raise £10,000 for two local charities, Macmillan and Jeremiah's Journey, and amassed more than 300 likes on her Facebook page, Jill's Fundraising Journey. Mrs Goodrum said: 'I want people to think about cancer, I never did. I want people to make sure they check themselves for any lumps and bumps. 'My cancer is incurable so it's all about maintaining my life now. 'I've had three bouts of chemotherapy already, one of which I proved to be allergic to. Jill was supposed to have another round of chemotherapy on December 20 but has postponed it so she can enjoy Christmas with her family, including her son, James, who has moved to Australia. Chemotherapy is one of the hardest things I can imagine anyone going through. 'I won't spend the rest of my life on chemotherapy I don't want to be sick for the time I have left. There will come a cut off point for me. My life is now about making the most of my family. 'Cancer does change your perspective on what's important. 'I guess that's a positive thing that's come out of all this.'