A WIDOW has told of the “irreversible impact” of her husband’s rare cancer diagnosis which took his life a year after they were married.
Dave Willie was diagnosed with chondrosarcoma, a rare form of bone cancer, in June 2016 after a previous misdiagnosis.
He and his fiancee Olivia Meheux, from Burgess Hill, were due to be married in April 2018, but in January they were told there was nothing more that doctors could do.
Despite the terminal diagnosis Dave married Olivia in March 2018.
He died the following year aged just 26 and since then Olivia has raised thousands of pounds for national charity Sarcoma UK through various ventures.
“No married couple should have to be in this situation in their mid-twenties,” said Olivia, 29.
“It was a really difficult time. Sarcoma has irreversibly impacted my life and will always be part of my story.
“I hope by keeping Dave’s memory alive, I am making him proud. I hope that one day people like Dave won’t have to go through what he went through.”
She is now raising awareness with Sarcoma UK, following a successful social media takeover during sarcoma awareness month in July.
The first time Olivia remembers Dave displaying symptoms was when his shoulder hurt and he thought he had pulled a muscle stocking shelves at work in Waitrose, or from playing football.
She says that the pain was worse at night. While Dave went to the GP with his symptoms, he did not think it was cancer.
Olivia is urging everyone to familiarise themselves with the signs and symptoms of sarcoma and to contact their GP if they have any of those listed below:
- A lump which is growing, changing, or bigger than a golf ball
- Swelling, tenderness, or pain in or around the bone which may come and go and may be worse at night
- Stomach pain, feeling sick, loss of appetite or feeling full after eating only a small amount of food
- Blood in either poo or vomit
Megan Fletcher, early diagnosis officer at Sarcoma UK said: “Despite 15 people in the UK being diagnosed with sarcoma every day, only 25 per cent of the population know what sarcoma is, with even fewer people recognising its signs and symptoms.
“Getting diagnosed as early as possible is key, so if you have any signs and symptoms, contact your GP.
“The greater awareness we have of sarcoma, and the importance of early diagnosis, the more chance we have of being able to help people like Dave when it will really make a difference.”
Sarcoma UK has set out how they intend to combat this problem, such as targeted education programmes for medical professionals, as well as resources for patients and their families.
Details can be found via the charity’s dedicated early diagnosis website page.
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