44-year-old Laura Dawson began suffering with bloating and fatigue in the months leading up to her bowel ca.ncer diagnosis, but had put her symptoms down to perimenopause
A mom said knowing she was going to d.ie from bowel can.cer allowed her to “live more fully” – with her final weeks containing “some of the happiest days” of her life. Laura Dawson, 44, suffered from bloating and fatigue for several months before receiving a stage three ca.ncer diagnosis in March last year.
Initially, she believed her symptoms were connected to the perimenopause, but one evening she had to be rushed to A&E because her stomach pain suddenly became so severe she “could not move”. The mum-of-two underwent emergency surgery in order to remove an obstruction on her bowel and, while the operation itself was successful, a biopsy revealed her cancer diagnosis.
Laura underwent six months of chemotherapy and initially the scans were “promising”, according to her husband Ben, 49.
He said: “We got one clear scan in August and it all seemed promising. But then in September we got the news that it was back and it had spread. That was absolutely gut-wrenching.”
Initially, Laura tried some other forms of chemotherapy, but two months ago she made a decision to discontinue treatment. The treatment was only making her more ill and she instead wanted to spend what time she had left with her family and friends.
Laura was supported by St Christopher’s Hospice in Sydenham, south east London, which permitted her to live at home for as long as she could, meaning she could enjoy her family’s company in a “comfortable and dignified way”. After a fortnight, she was moved to in-hospice care and passed away at St Christopher’s Hospice on June 29.
Ben described her passing as “peaceful” and he was by her side when she passed away.
He went on to say: “The care Laura received at home from the carers from St Christopher’s allowed her to have her final two weeks at home in a comfortable and dignified way. Then, during the nearly three weeks she stayed at the hospice, she was so well looked after – and everyone there was so compassionate and so caring – that it made Laura’s last few days so good for her. We’re eternally grateful that such a positive experience could come from such a negative situation.”
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