Laura Dawson, who is 44 years old, began to feel fatigued and bloated in the months leading up to her colon cancer diagnosis. She felt these signs were because of perimenopause.
A woman said that knowing she will die from colon cancer made her “live more fully.” She said that her last few weeks were “some of the happiest days” of her life. Laura Dawson, 44, had been 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 clear a blockage in her colon. She is the mother of two. The surgery went well, but a biopsy later showed that she had cancer.
Laura endured chemotherapy for six months, and at first, the scans seemed “promising,” according to her husband Ben, who is 49.
“We got one clear scan in August, and everything looked good,” he said. But in September we heard that it had come back and grown. That was very bad.
Laura tried some other types of chemotherapy at initially, but she stopped two months ago. She didn’t want to get much worse from the treatment; she wanted to spend her last days with her family and friends.
St. Christopher’s Hospice in Sydenham, southeast London, helped Laura stay at home as long as she could so she could spend time with her family in a “comfortable and dignified way.” St. Christopher’s Hospice moved her to in-hospice care after two weeks, and she died there on June 29.
Ben reported that her death was “peaceful” and that he was with her when she died.
He also said, “The care Laura got at home from the St. Christopher’s caregivers made her last two weeks at home comfortable and dignified.” Everyone at the hospice was so nice and caring that Laura’s last few days were really happy for her. She spent over three weeks there. “We will always be thankful 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.
“The last few weeks have been some of the best days of my life,” she remarked. We don’t like to think about death as a society.
“We make negative views about death stronger by doing that.” People think that death will always be bad and unpleasant, but it doesn’t have to be.
“Deep down, we all know that we shall die. Because I have cancer, I have to face the fact that I will die. That was a blessing since I’ve lived more fully than ever since then.
Ben explains that he and Laura both thought their time together was a blessing, even if they desired more.
He said, “Laura could have died in March on the operating table.” Life can end suddenly and without notice.
“But everyone got to say what they wanted to Laura since they knew she was going to die. I won’t have to go up there and say everything I wanted to say to her at the funeral.
I told her how I felt, and the kids did too. Of course, I’d rather keep her and have her for the rest of my life.
“But she died knowing that we love her and will always miss her.” That’s a nice thing.
Ben added that he and Laura were always honest with their boys, Jacob, 17, and Theo, 15, about everything that happened.
Ben said, “We’ve been very open about it the whole time.” We always inform them what could happen so that they are ready and trust what we say. That has definitely been a big assistance for all of us.
He also noted that the help she had from the NHS and St. Christopher’s made things simpler for her.
Ben said, “From the moment Laura got to Guy’s and St Thomas’ Hospital, the care was amazing.” “We really appreciate it.”
Ben mentioned that Laura wants to share her story to assist others deal with death and dying.
He said, “What she’s done about this is amazing.” I don’t think there has been a day during this whole period where 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 small 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 just a glass. She wanted to let everyone know.
Laura also spent the remainder of her time crafting memories that her family would always have. She penned heartfelt notes, manufactured keepsakes, and bought her sons watches that were very important to them.
Ben said, “She bought 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 reflected about the time he spent with Laura. They believe there is love at first sight, and that’s what it was.
She has been my constant friend since then. Laura was too polite, and she was the kind of girl that could make friends with someone right away. “She was just a really nice person.”
