Stephen was loving and loyal; cheeky and fun. He loved his family & friends, and loved spending time with them. His proudest achievement is our two amazing children whom he adored.  He loved going for coffee, going for a pint, eating out, going on holidays, but he also loved home and relaxing on 'his' sofa. He loved music, Tik Tok & binge watching tv series.  He loved gadgets, technology, nice watches and nice cars. He loved curry, red wine and chocolate - though not all at the same time!  Stephen loved life and fought to live it as fully, and as long, as he could. And we loved - and will always love - him.

In memory of Stephen, we've chosen to support Sarcoma UK, a national charity that funds vital research, offers support for anyone affected by sarcoma cancer and campaigns for better treatments.

Sarcoma is a type of cancer that develops in the bone or soft tissue and there are around 100 sub-types of sarcoma.. It is difficult to diagnose and one of the hardest to treat. Because it is a rare cancer, funding is limited and, therefore, so are treatment options. 

By donating in Stephen's memory, we can help change this. Your donation will help researchers find answers, keep the specialist Support Line open, and raise awareness to improve treatment and standards of care. 

Stephen's Story

Stephen was first diagnosed with Leiomyosarcoma in his right wrist in June 2018, after being misdiagnosed twice over the previous 18 months, by his GP, as having a ganglion cyst.  Following his diagnosis, the tumour grew rapidly and he underwent 25 fractions of radiotherapy to reduce it before having 8 hours of surgery to remove the tumour and replace the skin taken, with a graft from his leg, in November 2018.

All was well for 3 years; Stephen was monitored regularly. In November 2021, at a routine appointment, the bottom fell out of our world, when we were given the news that there were tumours in Stephen's lungs - that the cancer we thought he had beaten, had silently spread via his blood stream.  We were told that he could be treated, but not cured. 

Stephen was determined to fight it, to live as long as possible and enjoy life - and so we did. He was relatively well  for the first 12 months, though he had radiotherapy in Jan 22 and Dec 22 to target a couple of tumours causing issues, but he was nonchalant about this.

In Jan 23, Stephen's consultant advised that he begin chemotherapy, and he completed the course in May. The treatment appeared to have been successful, shrinking the tumours, but just a few weeks later, Stephen became short of breath and a scan showed new tumours. From July 23, Stephen was in and out of hospital; he had his chest drained; began more chemotherapy which caused an infection and low blood counts requiring 2 transfusions of platelets and 3 blood transfusions. He overcame this and went to recommence chemotherapy but discovered he had another infection. By this time, the cancer had progressed and Stephen was fighting the infection with only one lung functioning, and on top of this, he caught covid. 

Our brave warrior, who was so determined to live and had been through so much, could not win this last fight and passed away, knowing how much he was loved, on Thursday 28th September 2023.

 We are so proud of him and loved him so much.

Thank you for donating in his memory, we are comforted to know he meant so much to others too.