A mum who fell ill with what she thought was a sore throat died suddenly before she could marry her long term partner.
Lesley Perowne, from Warrington, first complained of something wrong just before Christmas last year, after noticing a sore throat that was just “getting worse and worse”.
The 51-year-old’s throat then started swelling up, and she spotted blood in her saliva.
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The beloved mum was diagnosed with esophageal cancer after visiting her GP.
Despite medical experts telling them the disease had a “low survival rate”, the family had hoped she would recover, so fiancé Giuseppe Salamone took time off work to care for his partner and their 17-year-old daughter Mia.
The pair were due to get married this year, but Lesley’s recovery was far from smooth sailing so the wedding was unable to take place.
Giusseppe’s brother, Luca, told the Liverpool Echo: “Lesley started chemo but she was throwing it all up and it had to be stopped because of complications.
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“She couldn’t eat and eventually couldn’t drink so the only option was radiotherapy.”
Luca said despite the struggles, they received a phone call from Lesley just weeks ago, with positive news that the cancer was shrinking and felt her throat was finally opening up.
However, Lesley suddenly deteriorated and after being admitted to hospital, doctors identified a chest infection and clot on her lung.
Sadly she died on October 25.
Luca said: “We had a glimmer of hope. They found a chest infection and they were going to sort it.
“But then suddenly, within days, she was gone. We really thought she would come through it, at least in the short term, so in that sense it came as a big shock.”
Due to the struggles over the last year, Luca, who lives in Buckley, said his brother’s family has ‘debts racked up’ and himself and his wife Sally decided to take action to help.
A fundraiser was launched to help cover the funeral costs, which surpassed the £2,000 target within days.
He added: “Their backs were up against a wall. You can be surprised at how nice people are when they see someone in need.
“I wasn’t expecting the target to be reached within days.
“Lesley was very strong willed, probably the worst patient the hospital had ever seen. It was like she didn’t take it seriously, she thought it would be a blip in the grand scheme of her life. She was so tough.
“She just carried on. She was a hard worker, ambitious and very honest. She has always done things for people in need, was always there to help.
“They were going to get married this year so my brother is also mourning what could have been.”
The fundraising page has already raised over £2,500 to help towards the funeral costs.
Luca wrote on the page: “May I ask for anyone who knew Lesley, to come forward and donate even the smallest amount to help raise money for her funeral.
“Giuseppe and Mia don’t want anything extravagant (and anyone who knew Lesley well would understand that she wouldn’t want a big fuss), but just enough to give Lesley a dignified and memorable send off.
“When I visited Lesley at hospital a couple of months ago with Giuseppe and Mia, we sat in the car park and planned in our heads for the future. Lesley said something like “In a few months, we can all get away somewhere and have a good laugh, forget about all this silliness!”
“I hope you’re somewhere special Les. Pour yourself a glass of red and we’ll all be there with you soon enough, for that family getaway.
“We all love and miss you dearly.”
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