A KING'S Somborne early years teacher who lost her mum just a month after she was diagnosed with lung cancer is calling on Southampton to put the disease in the spotlight by taking part in the Shine Night Walk this October.
Mum-of-three Kelly Paddock, 36, and her daughter Lacey-May, 12, will help light up the city when they complete the 10k neon glowing, night-time walking event for Cancer Research UK on October 11, in memory of Kelly’s mum, Benita Tanner.
Despite experiencing symptoms for several months, Benita was only diagnosed four weeks before she died at Christmas in 2016. Now Kelly wants to prevent more families experiencing the same heartbreak and hopes to raise vital funds to help power progress in the fight against the disease.
Kelly said: “I’ll never get over losing my mum when she was just 51 and I miss her every single day. Perhaps if she’d been diagnosed at an earlier stage, she may have had a chance of making more memories with us or beating the disease altogether.
“I’m determined to shine a light on the need for more research to diagnose cancer earlier so that more people have a chance to live longer.”
Kelly understands first-hand just how important new discoveries about cancer are to unlock better ways to detect and beat the disease.
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She said: “My mum was the most beautiful lady inside and out and the strongest woman I’ll ever know. She was the best mum and the best ‘Nanny Neat’ to the grandchildren who all adored her. She had a close bond with them all, especially Callum, 15, who is my eldest son as she delivered him.
“When mum started showing some symptoms early in 2016 such as extreme, unexplained tiredness, chest issues and pain throughout her body we wondered if it was the menopause due to her age. She’d been to the GP numerous times and initially she was diagnosed with pneumonia and then fibromyalgia, but as her symptoms progressed, she continued to seek help from the doctor’s surgery.
“She knew there was something more serious going on and even predicted that year would be her last Christmas. When the pain became completely unbearable in the November, she was referred to hospital for an MRI scan and that’s when everything changed.
“After the scan I said to mum, ‘You are going to be alright aren’t you?’ and she played everything down because she didn’t want to worry us. But we soon discovered the devastating news that the scan had revealed she had lung cancer.
“Mum was determined to fight it and was willing to receive any treatment available, but after just a few sessions of radiotherapy, we were told that the cancer was in her bones, stomach, kidneys and spine and that any more treatment would be ineffective.
“We desperately wanted time to make some memories together and it was so difficult knowing how little time we had left with her but as we prepared for our last Christmas together, Mum chose to spend her final days at home so she could listen to the grandchildren playing. Towards the end, she wanted to be in her own bed and on December 29, she passed away with my Dad, Stuart, my sister, Mikaela and me by her side.
“I’m looking forward to lighting a candle for mum as we take part in the Shine Night Walk. Nearly one in two of us will get cancer in our lifetime, but all of us can support the research that will beat it.”
The event starts at Guildhall Square at 7.30pm, when participants will take to the city’s streets in a fun and inspirational parade of light.
To enter or volunteer visit shinewalk.org.
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