Woman Mistakes Deadly Illness For Perimenopause—Dies Suddenly

Knowing she was going to die from a bowel cancer, a mother claimed. Cer gave her the ability to “live more fully”, and the last weeks of her life included “some of the happiest days” of her life. Laura Dawson, 44, was diagnosed with stage three cancer in March of last year after experiencing lethargy and bloating for several months.

She initially thought her symptoms were related to the perimenopause, but one evening she had to be taken to A&E because she was experiencing so much stomach agony that she “could not move.” The mother of two had emergency surgery to remove a blockage in her colon, and although the procedure went well, a biopsy showed that she had cancer.

According to Laura’s 49-year-old husband Ben, the scans were originally “promising” after she endured six months of chemotherapy.

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.”

Laura attempted a few different types of chemotherapy at first, but two months ago she decided to stop. She wanted to spend her remaining time with her loved ones because the treatment was just making her condition worse.

St Christopher’s Hospice in Sydenham, south-east London, provided Laura with support, allowing her to remain in her home as long as possible and spend time with her family in a “comfortable and dignified way.” She was transferred to in-hospice care after two weeks, and on June 29, she died at St. Christopher’s Hospice.

Ben was beside her when she died, and he called her passing “peaceful.”

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.”

Laura previously discussed how she knew she was going to die and how her last days were some of her “happiest.”

She said: “Some of the happiest days of my life have been in the last few weeks. As a society, we shy away from the process of dying.”

“By doing that, we reinforce negative ideas around death. People think death is always going to be painful and traumatic, but it doesn’t have to be.”

“Deep down we all know we are going to die. Cancer has forced me to acknowledge it. Since then I’ve lived more fully than I’ve ever done and that has been a gift.”

Ben claims that even though they wished for more time together, he and Laura considered their time together as a blessing.

He said, “Laura could have died on that operating table back in March. Life can be cut short unexpectedly and suddenly.”

“But knowing Laura was going to d.ie meant everyone had the opportunity to say what they wanted to say to her. When it comes to the funeral, I won’t have to stand up there and say all those things I wished I had said to her.”

“Because I told her and so did the kids. Obviously, I’d prefer to keep her – and have her for the rest of my life.”

“But she died knowing she is loved and that we will miss her endlessly. That is a blessing.”

Ben revealed that he and Laura were open and honest with their 17-year-old son Jacob and their 15-year-old son Theo during the entire situation.

Ben said, “We’ve spoken very openly about it all the way through. We’ve always told them what the possible outcomes are – because we want to prepare them for what might happen and we want them to be able to trust what we’re saying. That’s definitely helped us throughout.”

Additionally, he commended the care she received from St. Christopher’s and the NHS, saying it helped to make the experience more tolerable.

“From the moment she was admitted into Guy’s and St Thomas’ Hospital, all the care Laura received was incredible,” Ben said. “We really are so thankful.”

Ben disclosed that Laura’s goal in sharing her story was to help others deal with death and dying.

He said, “The way she’s approached this has been incredible. I don’t think there’s been a day in this process where Laura truly let this get to her. This is unfair. She’s had her life cut short by 40 or 50 years. But she was seeing the beauty in the small things – taking joy in what she could do.”

“They say people are glass half empty or glass half full. Laura was always happy enough just to have a glass. She wanted to share that with people.”

Laura also spent what time she had left creating enduring memories for her family. She bought her sons sentimental watches, organised mementos, and wrote passionate messages.

“She bought me one when we got engaged and now the boys have one too,” Ben said. “That way, on special occasions, like their weddings, they can look at it and know she’s with them and thought about that day.”

Reflecting on his time with Laura, Ben said, “We met 24 years ago. They talk about love at first sight – and it was that.”

“She’s been my constant companion ever since. Laura was generous to a fault – and the kind of person who is friends with someone after a minute of chatting to them. She was just a really, really nice person.”