Thousands raised for hospice caring for cancer mum

The family and friends of a 27-year-old mother with life-limiting bowel cancer have raised thousands for the hospice which cares for her.

Diagnosed in 2024, Bethany Stichbury, from Tonbridge, had already endured a failed round of treatment when a tumour caused her bowel to burst and the disease later spread.

She is currentlyreceiving palliative care at The Hospice in the Weald, a GoFundMe page for which has already surpassed its £3,000 target in less than a week.

Stichbury's brother Matt Crawley, said without the staff there his sister "may not have had the opportunity to watch her daughter grow over the last two years - something our family will always be grateful for".

In her late teens,Stichbury was told she had irritable bowel syndrome, but she was referred for a colonoscopy after symptoms worsened.

Doctors discovered she had cancer, which then spread to her lymph nodes, liver and lungs.

After that, her condition progressed to the point where treatment had to be stopped because her body could no longer tolerate chemotherapy.

Crawley said hospice staff had "protected and cared for" his sister, as well as helping to "manage her pain with such compassion and dignity".

"They provided her the chance to reconnect with family, continue being a mother and create precious memories during the most difficult time of her life."

He described his sister as "a devoted mother whose beautiful young daughter will one day will look back and see just how hard her mum fought - not only for herself, but to help and support others facing this awful disease".

Stichbury herself previously told the BBC she was making a memory book for her little girl to help her "remember all the fun stuff" they did together "before I was poorly".

Calling his sibling "my hero", Crawley said the fundraising will culminate in a 72-hole golf challenge, to be undertaken in July by his friends, Ben Payne and Sam Cain.

He said he hopes the money will help the hospice "continue supporting families like ours, giving them more precious time with the people they love."

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