Claire Walks All Over Cancer

I am walking to beat cancer. Wishing my husband was here to see me.

In memory of

Derek Charlton

27th May 1962 - 16th Feb 2016

My Story

My beloved husband Derek Charlton died from metastatic gastric cancer on 16th February 2016. The early symptoms of his cancer mimicked the side effects of medication he was taking due to severe nerve damage after a car accident. As a result there was a delay in testing and assessment, which meant a delay in treatment. I do not attach any blame to anyone - Derek received wonderful care from our NHS colleagues, our local hospice, counsellors, and our wonderful group of family and friends. I do wonder now though whether more research and expertise might have lead us down a different path, perhaps even to a cure for him, or at the very least, to more time with him. Derek died just 8 short months after diagnosis. He left behind a wonderful and loving family who miss him terribly and grieve on a daily basis. Throughout his illness he was incredibly brave and fought like a lion to beat this terrible disease. He was also totally selfless - always more worried about the impact the cancer was having upon us, than how it was affecting him. I would not wish our journey upon anyone - and anything I can do to support Cancer Research in taking action to prevent this happening to other families, I will do. I am humbled to be able to do something so simple, but which might help other families to beat cancer.