Mother-of-one died of ‘incurable’ cancer so rare even some nurses treating her had never heard of it, husband says
- Lesley Turner, 40, died in July 2022 after developing a rare angiosarcoma cancer.
- She was diagnosed in November 2021 after discovering a lump in her breast
- Angiosarcoma is an extremely rare cancer, affecting around one in a million
A mother died of an ‘incurable’ cancer so rare that even some of the nurses treating her had never heard of it, according to her husband.
Lesley Turner, 40, died in July of last year after battling angiosarcoma.
Diagnosed in November 2021 after discovering a lump in her breast, she and her husband Rob were told their conditions could not be cured.
The mother-of-one discovered how rare angiosarcoma is after seeing that some nurses treating her at Northern General and Weston Park hospitals in Sheffield had never heard of it.
Ms Turner, originally from Stranraer in Dumfries and Galloway, asked doctors not to tell her how much time she had left, she reported yorkshire live.
Mother Lesley Turner died of a type of cancer so rare that even some of the nurses treating her had never heard of it. She passed away in July of last year after being diagnosed with angiosarcoma.
Ms Turner and her husband Rob (right), parents of eight-year-old Liam (centre), found out just how rare angiosarcoma is after discovering that some of the nurses treating her had never heard of it.
speaking to yorkshire liveRob, 41, said: “We realized pretty quickly that it was serious.”
He added: “She had chemotherapy for about four months, but she always had a smile on her face and said ‘if you don’t laugh, you’ll cry’, so we tried to keep going.”
Rob has revealed his desire to honor his wife’s memory through fundraising.
Ms Turner spent the last five days of her life at St Luke’s Hospice in Sheffiled and made Rob promise that all money raised would go to hospice.
Rob said Ms Turner’s death has been “hard” on her son Liam, adding that making cards at school ahead of Mother’s Day was particularly difficult.
The couple met in Glasgow in 2007 when Rob was outfitting a store in Iceland, of which Ms Turner was the manager, and they later had son Liam, now eight years old.
Speaking of the hospice, Rob said: “They took such good care, not just of Lesley but of all the visitors, including me.”
The couple met in Glasgow in 2007 when Rob was outfitting a store in Iceland, of which Ms Turner was the manager, and they later had son Liam, now eight years old.
Rob left Mrs Turner an Easter egg with a note attached before returning to Sheffield, and they began a relationship after visiting for a year.
Mrs Turner moved to Sheffield and the couple eventually bought their first home together.
They were married on June 14, 2014 at Stannington Church.
‘She was nice. She just found the funny side of things – she was fun and brilliant to be around,” Rob said.
He also talked about how Ms Turner’s death was “hard” on her son Liam, but said he “has a lot of friends at school who help him and a loving family around him.”
The father added that making cards at school before Mother’s Day was particularly difficult for Liam, as the grandparents offered help and support.
Following Mrs Turner’s wishes, Rob has now raised almost £4,500 for St Luke’s Hospice with a GoFundMe campaign, surpassing his original goal of £3,500.
The father also hosted a golf tournament at Hillsborough Golf Club in the town on May 12, an event he hopes will raise £10,000 for the charity.
You can donate to Rob and Mrs. Turner’s gofundme page for by clicking here.
