AnnaMaria
Laura Dawson, a 44-year-old mother of two from London, spent months feeling unusually bloated and exhausted. At first, she assumed these symptoms were a natural part of perimenopause.
But the reality was far more serious: Laura was silently battling stage three bowel cancer.
It wasn’t until one night, when she was struck by severe abdominal pain, that she sought urgent treatment at A&E. Doctors discovered a bowel obstruction and performed emergency surgery. While the procedure itself was deemed successful, follow-up tests revealed the devastating diagnosis: cancer.
Her husband, Ben, recounted the difficult months that followed. “Laura underwent six months of chemotherapy, and early scan results gave us hope. In August, the scans were clear. Everything looked encouraging.”
That hope was short-lived. In September, the cancer returned and had spread. “It was absolutely devastating,” Ben said.
After exhausting conventional treatments, Laura explored alternative therapies. Yet two months before her death, she made the difficult decision to stop treatment, choosing instead to focus on cherishing her remaining time with loved ones.
St Christopher’s Hospice in Sydenham, south-east London, provided Laura with compassionate care, allowing her to remain at home for as long as possible and ensuring her final weeks were comfortable and dignified.
Laura passed away at the hospice on Sunday, June 29, with her husband by her side. “The care Laura received from the hospice staff meant she could spend her last days in comfort and dignity,” Ben said. “Their compassion made her final weeks peaceful and meaningful. We will always be grateful for that.”
Reflecting on her experience, Laura shared a profound perspective: “Some of the happiest days of my life have been in these last few weeks. As a society, we avoid talking about dying. When we do, we reinforce fear around death. People assume it must always be painful or traumatic, but that isn’t necessarily true. Cancer forced me to face the reality of life’s end. Since then, I’ve lived more fully than ever before—and that has been a gift.”
Laura Dawson died surrounded by love, comforted by the knowledge that her life, even in its final moments, was cherished and honored.
