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Holly Stanswood

PCAM Challenge 24

Donate to Holly and help them hit their goal of £350!

I'm fundraising for Pancreatic Cancer Awareness Month

My beloved Mum was 61 years old and never had any indication or cancer markers, not even any family history. On 5th July 2024 she was suspected to have gallstones and after an ultrasound to confirm them, she was instead told the devastating news she had pancreatic and liver cancer. It was extensive and she also had the cancer in her bile duct, gallbladder, lymph nodes and lungs. 

After 4 short weeks in hospital she died on 6th August 2024. She left behind a loving husband having just celebrated their 41st Wedding Anniversary. 2 devoted children and 2 granddaughters aged 2 and 3. She had finally retired and was set to start the new chapter in her life of a settled life spent with friends, family and her beloved granddaughters. 

In our family we have previous personal experience with pancreatic cancer and it feels it is always discovered too late, just like with my Mum and my Uncle who died aged 41 in 2013. 




Pancreatic cancer is the deadliest common cancer. More than half of people die within three months of diagnosis.

Survival rates for other cancers have improved dramatically in recent years. But decades of underfunding mean we still don’t have the tests and treatments to tackle this disease. People with pancreatic cancer have been overlooked and ignored for far too long.

That’s why I’m fundraising for Pancreatic Cancer UK and I'd really appreciate your support. Your donations will support vital, world-leading research, ensure specialist nurses are there to take more calls and fuel campaigns to drive positive change.

Together, we will bring more than hope to people affected by pancreatic cancer.

My donations could fund...

24

hours with a nurse on our support line

11

hours of early diagnosis research

Please support my fundraising!

Raised

£693 + £105.47 GiftAid

My Goal

£350

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£25
£58
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Who for?

Who am I fundraising for? Well the long answer is of course everyone that has and will suffer with pancreatic cancer. The short answer is my mum - Claire Stanswood. 

Born 1st October 1962. A beautiful woman who was selfless, giving, stubborn, kind, funny, rebellious, fun and loving. She was a wife. Having met her husband aged 16 and then married aged 20 they had just celebrated their 41st Wedding Anniversary. 

She was a Mum. Not just to me and my younger brother Ethan but to anyone who needed a Mother figure and also Ethan's long term partner, Heidi. I've had people say to me since she died they saw her as their 2nd Mum. 

She was a Nana. She always wanted grandchildren and unfortunately it took Ethan and I longer than she would have liked to finally give her that dream. She had Thea and Esther - both 3 now. They were her world and she lived for those girls. 

She was a friend or BFF. She had her closest friends of course but she was a friend to everyone. So many people have felt the loss of this gregarious woman.

In June 2024 she visited the GP after experiencing some nausea, loss of appetite and sickness. It wasn't uncommon for her to have these symptoms due to bariatric surgery years ago. They suspected gallstones and she was put on the wait list for a scan. She visited Las Vegas with her husband and 2 best friends. God only knows how she managed that holiday as she was in unexplainable pain and sickness but as with most things in life she pushed through and never complained. 
When she returned from Las Vegas she knew she couldn't wait months for the scan and by chance they had a cancellation a few days away so she went. It was the 5th July 2024. The ultrasound technician found a 7cm mass on her liver and 4cm mass on her pancreas. She advised her to go straight to her GP. She returned home from the GP and changed everyone's lives when she told us something we never thought she would say - I have cancer. 

She became jaundiced and was admitted to hospital 2 days later. She never left. Once admitted to hospital and further tests and scans we found out collectively she had cancer in her liver, pancreas, gallbladder, lymph nodes, bile duct and lungs. Over the next 4 weeks we watched this larger than life, vivacious woman grow small, frail and quiet. Pain was something that she was somewhat accustomed to feeling in her life and she never complained, never let it hold her back - stubbornly so at times. We watched as a new pain consumed her, silenced her, stopped her. It was unbearably traumatic for her loved ones to watch. She wanted nothing more than to be at home with her dogs, her babies, her family, her loved ones. 

But cancer took her from us much quicker than any of us anticipated and on 6th August 2024 she passed away, alone, in her sleep. It is the greatest sadness I have ever felt and it is the biggest unjust that she was robbed from enjoying the next chapter of her life - a quiet retirement with her husband, friends and most importantly her granddaughters. Her girls. Her world. 

We have previous experience as a family with pancreatic cancer and it does feel as if it is a doomsday diagnosis. Often found too late, with nothing left to be done. If I can make any difference to that and save anyone else going through this life changing pain then it will mean so much. 

So please, whatever you have, whatever you can spare - please donate. I embark on this with my best friend, my sister out law, mum's 2nd daughter, my nieces mother, my daughters aunt. Who has also found the loss so hard. It will be a hard challenge but nothing like what my mum had to go through. 

Thank you to my Sponsors

£26.50

Kim King

Well done Holly (and Heidi) such a wonderful thing you have done for such a good cause. Congratulations my lovely x

£15

Gabrielle Gregoire

£25

Bee And Cole Crawford

Congratulations to you both, what a great achievement - Claire would be very proud of you xx

£25

Heidi Jay

💜💜💜

£50

Kevan Stanswood

Great achievement girls, Mum would be proud of you both - as I am. Well done you did so well xxx

£21.20

Emma Lillington

Good luck Holly, your mum would be so proud of you. Sending you lots of love. Xxx

£10

Natalie Tait

Your mum would be very proud of you and Heidi Such an amazing charity xx

£26.50

Eileen Shepard

£106

Trevor & Gill Honey

God Bless Holly

£21.20

Carol Shrewsbury

Good luck Holly. You are amazing. Thinking of u mate. X

£21.20

Alan Wincott

£14

Simon Billington

All the best for this Holly. With all our love. Simon, Tori, Teddy and Elisabeth

£10

Jodie Carolan

£21.20

Julie

Best of Luck Holly x

£10.60

Paula Bonney

Well done Holly ❤️

£5.30

Annabelle Harms

Good Luck ladies! Sure you'll smash it!

£10.60

Phil And Jackie Derry

Best of luck

£25.44

Cathy

good luck :)

£10.60

Carla Collins

Good luck!!

£10

Anonymous

£25

Katy King

£48.76

Ethan Stanswood

£21.20

Rebecca Dearing

Best of luck Holly hope it goes well, will be thinking of you x

£20

Vanessa Chant

Good luck ladies 😀

£10

Jen

I truly am sorry to hear about your mum Holly xx

£5

Ilsa Dalmut

£5.30

Rebecca Mortimer

£10.60

Liana Wilton

Super proud of you for everything you are doing!

£10.60

C Evans

£20

Abigail Hobbins

🤍🤍🤍

£5

Georgina Ward

£20

Hannah Brombley

I’m forever hopeful that better medicines, quicker access, and improvement to services will be made available to all. We just simply need to do better. Much love and support to the Stanswood family.

£26.50

Holly Stanswood

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