A FOUR-year-old boy faces becoming an orphan after his mum was diagnosed with terminal cancer – just one year after the sudden death of her partner.
Keelie Towler gave birth to little Rupert in July 2020, and was diagnosed with stage three breast cancer five months later.
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She underwent chemotherapy and surgery, and had a double mastectomy in June.
The 34-year-old also had her lymph nodes removed on her left side as she had the BRCA2 gene, which can increase the risk of cancer.
By December 2022, after 13 more rounds of chemotherapy and multiple rounds of radiotherapy, Keelie was well enough to return to work.
She also moved into a bungalow with Scott and Rupert, and was looking forward to their future together as a family.
But in May 2023, Scott, 33, was found unconscious at home.
He had suffered a pulmonary embolism – when a blood clot blocks a blood vessel in the lungs – and died a short time later.
Keelie, from Normanton, Wakefield, told YorkshireLive: “It was awful.
“The coroner’s report said he had a massive blood clot in his lungs.
“Rupert and I had pulled him from the bottom of the bed and got him flat, doing CPR, but nothing we would have done would have helped, he was already gone.
“Not a day goes by without me thinking, ‘I’d have him here right now if I could’. I can’t believe he’s gone.
“We never, ever, spoke about him going. It was always ‘if I die’ because obviously I’d had cancer and the seed was already planted, whereas he was fit and healthy.
“Well, he died a few days after his 33rd birthday and he played rugby. He was fit and healthy.”
In March 2024, Keelie thought she had pulled a muscle in her side but visited her GP as it was particularly painful.
Initially, the doctor thought everything was fine, but sent her for scans to be safe.
These revealed that Keelie’s cancer had returned, with a 1.4in (3.5cm) tumour in her brain – and it was terminal.
I never thought that I’d be thinking ‘if I die, my son’s got no parents’
Keelie Towler
“Life in general seems to be one thing after another thrown at me,” she said.
Keelie is now incredibly concerned about their future – particularly for her little boy.
“I am worried about Rupert,” she said. “I never thought that I’d be thinking ‘if I die, he’s got no parents’.
“I always assumed Scott would be here. But now my mum and stepdad will have him, and my best friend, so I know he will be safe.
“He’s a very positive and outgoing little lad. He has been through a lot but he is very bouncy and joyful.”
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Keelie’s friend Rachael Gunningham has launched a GoFundMe to help cover the family’s expenses while Keelie is out of work.
“I do appreciate everyone’s donations, I think it’s brilliant,” she said.
Reg flags of cancer you must look for and act upon
THERE are more than 200 types of cancer, each with its own set of symptoms.
A cough lasting three weeks or more is a key sign of lung cancer – the most common cancer in the UK.
Changes to bowel habits lasting more than three weeks, such as diarrhoea, constipation, blood when you poo, or needing to go more often, are signs of bowel cancer, the second most common form of the disease.
There are also common symptoms that can be “red flags” of many forms of cancer, and should always be checked.
They include:
- Weight loss for no obvious reason.
- Pain that is persistent and unexplained, whether it be dull and consistent, or sharp and brief.
- Any lumps, bumps or swellings, such as in the neck, armpit, stomach, groin, chest, breast or testicle.
- Fatigue that makes you feel tired all the time and generally lacking in energy.
- Night sweats that are very heavy or a fever that can’t be explained.
- Changes to the skin, such as puckering on the breast, moles that have changed, very itchy or yellow skin.
- Unexplained bleeding from the bottom or vagina, or blood in urine, semen, stool, vomit or when coughing.