Olivia & Juley
Juley started to have symptoms in September 2025 but at first they didn’t seem too alarming. But by the spring of 2026 she had become very unwell. Her daughter, Olivia, shares their story and what their family is doing to raise awareness of this cancer.
Mum’s health slowly declined
In September 2025, our mum, Juley, started becoming unwell. At first, it was intermittent vomiting and gradual weight loss – things that didn’t immediately seem alarming. But over the following months, her health slowly declined in ways we now wish we had pushed harder for healthcare professionals to recognise.
From December 2025 to March 2026, her bowel habits constantly changed between constipation and loose stools. She was advised by the GP to take laxatives and pain relief, but deep down we knew something wasn’t right. The weight loss became severe and visible, and she continued suffering with back pain, right-sided pain, exhaustion, and discomfort most days.
She was struggling to cope
By March 2026, the pain had become unbearable. She was sleeping most of the day, struggling to cope and walk, and pain relief no longer touched what she was feeling. After calling 111 in the middle of March, they told her to continue taking the laxatives and pain relief, and to book an appointment with the dietitian. Mum was in absolute agony, suffering horrific pain in her stomach and right side and eventually became confused, so we took her to A&E.
Our world shattered
Fast forward to the day after Mother’s Day, our world shattered.
After months of symptoms, pain, and suffering, we received a diagnosis no family is ever prepared for. We were told that her bowel had perforated and that she had terminal pancreatic cancer, which had already spread to her bowel and lungs and no kind of treatment would help at this advanced stage. She was also severely anaemic and malnourished, weighing only 32kg, and needed blood transfusions followed by a naso-gastric tube (a tube that passes up your nose and down into your stomach) and palliative care.
Less than two weeks later after her diagnosis, our beautiful mum sadly passed away. She was 69 years old.
Juley and her family
Raising awareness of this cruel cancer
Pancreatic cancer is cruel, aggressive, and often silent until it is far too late. We’re sharing our mum’s story because no one should have to suffer or not feel heard the way she did, and because sometimes the signs are there long before the answers are.
In September, we are taking part in a Shine Night Walk for cancer research in memory of her, to raise awareness and money for pancreatic cancer. Every donation, no matter how small, helps fund research, improve treatments, and bring hope to families facing this devastating disease.
We’re walking for our mum, and for everyone affected by these cancers 💜
June 2026
