Laura Dawson, 44, started to feel fatigued and bloated a few months before she found out she had colon cancer. She felt these signs were because she was going through perimenopause.
One mother said that knowing she will die from colon cancer made her “live more fully.” The last few weeks of her life were “some of the happiest days” of her life. Laura Dawson, 44, had been feeling tired and bloated for months before she found out she had stage three cancer in March of last year.
At first, she felt her symptoms were due to the perimenopause, but one night she had to go to the emergency department because her stomach pain was so acute that she “could not move.” She had to have emergency surgery to remove a blockage in her colon because she was the mother of two. The procedure went smoothly, but a sample later showed that she had cancer.
Ben, 49, stated that Laura had chemotherapy for six months and that the scans seemed “promising” at first.
He remarked, “We got one clear scan in August, and everything looked good.” But in September, we heard that it had come back and grown. That was pretty bad.
Laura tried various other types of chemotherapy at first, but she stopped getting treatment two months ago. She didn’t want to get much sicker from the treatment; she just wanted to be with her family and friends in her dying days.
St. Christopher’s Hospice in Sydenham, southeast London, helped Laura stay at home for as long as she could so she could spend time with her family in a “comfortable and dignified way.” After two weeks, St. Christopher’s Hospice moved her to in-hospice care, where she died on June 29.
Ben stated she died “peacefully,” and he was there with her when it happened.
He then said, “The St. Christopher’s caregivers took care of Laura at home and made her last two weeks there comfortable and dignified.” Everyone at the hospice was so nice and caring that Laura’s last few days there were wonderful. She spent almost three weeks there. “We will always be grateful that something good came out of something bad.”
Laura said that her last days were some of her “happiest” because she knew she was going to die.
She said, “The last few weeks have been some of the best days of my life.” We don’t like to think about death as a group.
“We make bad ideas about death stronger when we do it. People think that death will always be horrible and horrific, but it doesn’t have to be.
We all know that we shall die at some point. Because I have cancer, I have to face the fact that I will die. That has been a gift since I’ve lived more fully than ever since then.
Ben notes that even though he and Laura wanted more time together, they both thought of their time together as a gift.
He said, “Laura could have died on the operating table in March.” Life can end suddenly and without notice.
“But everyone had a chance to tell Laura what they wanted to before she died. I won’t have to get up there and say everything I wanted to say to her at the funeral.
I told her how I felt, and so did the kids. I’d much rather keep her and have her for the rest of my life.
“But she died knowing that we loved her and would always miss her.” That’s a nice thing.
Ben added that he and Laura were always honest with their two boys, Jacob, 17, and Theo, 15.
Ben said, “We’ve been very open about it the whole time.” We always inform them what might happen so they can be ready and believe what we say. That has really helped us all.
He also noted that the treatment she had from the NHS and St. Christopher’s made things simpler to deal with.
Ben said, “From the moment Laura got to Guy’s and St. Thomas’ Hospital, the care was amazing.” “We are very thankful.”
Ben mentioned that Laura wants to relate her story to assist others deal with death and dying.
He stated, “The way she’s dealt with this has been great.” I don’t think there was ever a day during this whole period when Laura actually let things get to her. This isn’t right. She has lost 40 to 50 years of her life. But she was finding beauty in the simple things and being happy with what she could do.
“People say that a glass is either half full or half empty. Laura was always happy with only one glass. She wanted to tell everyone about it.
Laura also spent the remainder of her time crafting moments that her family will always remember. She penned heartfelt notes, produced gifts, and purchased her boys watches that meant a lot to them.
Ben said, “She got me one when we got engaged, and now the boys have one too.” “That way, they can look at it on special days like their weddings and know that she is with them.”
Ben said, “We met 24 years ago,” when he reminisced about his time with Laura. They say love at first sight, and that’s what it was.
She has been my constant friend ever since. Laura was too sweet, and she could make friends with someone in less than a minute of chatting to them. “She was just a really nice person.”