Please dig deep to support Duncan Webster and his daughter Layla and the amazing support of the Cynthia Spencer Hospice who recently cared for his wife Julie. Duncan is a colleague of ours and he has kindly allowed us to share the following story written by Layla

She was, and will forever be, my sunshine!

My story starts and ends with a woman whose spirit touched the lives of everyone she met, her humour and positive attitude was extraordinary, and her laugh was infectious.Even though she was the strongest person I knew, 2015 was a year that changed all our lives forever. In February 2015 my mum was hospitalised with a severe stomach pain, through vigorous scans, tests, and multiply consultations with doctors we were given the saddening news that there was an abnormality in her stomach. We were sent to Leicester Royal Infirmary Hospital to carry out a biopsy to which the results were the ones we were dreading, Cancer. 

However they gave us hopeful news that they would set her up on a six-week treatment of intense chemotherapy; to hopefully shrink the tumour to which they would then later remove (finally some hope – or so we thought). Unfortunately, 7 days after she was given her first and only dose of chemotherapy she suffered a terrifying and life-changing stroke, which was caused by the treatment and paralysed her down the left-handside.

I remember the month after she suffered her stroke, we sat in a consultation room in Northampton General Hospital and watched this surgeon (the best in the industry for Gastric Cancer), slowly take away every hope we had, to then deliver the worst news of my entire life that mums cancer was now terminal. Her body was too weak to operate on and for the few months she had left, she was to enjoy it and spend it with loved ones. 

Being given that news on any circumstance is the worst thing in this entire world, but to be told this as well as having to deal with the fact you are now in a wheelchair and unable to do anything for yourself. The things I used to take for granted; drive a car, make a cup of tea, or even shower yourself. Everything that was thrown at her she was still hopeful and positive and always said; “Layla there are people worse off than me”. 

Her strength was incredible and her character was one of a kind. She relished the 6 months she had with us by enjoying the finer things in life. She was brave enough to plan ahead for when the time would come, and planned her own funeral and decided she would like to spend her final days in the Cynthia Spencer Hospice; “I’ve heard its nice there”. And wasn’t she right. As heart-breaking and indescribable those final days were, she was in the best place she could possibly be. The angels that work at Cynthia Spencer are worth their weight in gold. The nurses, doctors, tea ladies, volunteers, and support workers are an absolute credit to their profession.