Just two months after being diagnosed with indigestion, a father died of terminal cancer at the age of 56.
Stuart Simpson, who was described as ‘Kind and loving’, was initially given peptides as a medication, but they did not alleviate the pain in his side.
He returned to the doctor in Nottingham and was given blood tests, which revealed that something was amiss and he was taken to the hospital right away.
More tests revealed he had tumors in his lungs and bowels, and he died this month from stage four bowel and liver cancer, after initially visiting the doctor in April.
Things moved too swiftly after that for him to even begin treatment.
When Stuart and Joanne Nunns first met, Amber Williams, Stuart’s ex-partner, had a three-year-old daughter, and Stuart immediately became Amber’s father figure.
He was also a father to Sam, 18, whom he shared with Joanne, as well as Joshua and Renesmae, Sam’s siblings.
Amber, now 25 years old, said that ‘It was such a shock – it was so quick. I don’t see my real Dad so Stu was always there. He was always there to talk to when I needed him. That’s the kind of person he was – always there to give help to anyone who needed it.
‘He never asked questions, he was just there. I have two sons, Cody and Kallum, and Stu loved them. He always sent them birthday cards and asked how they were doing. He was an important part of our family.’
After the tumors were detected, Stuart spent a week in hospital before being sent to his flat in Nottingham, where he had a cat.
His family from Doncaster, on the other hand, decided to go down and bring him back up with them because he couldn’t do anything but lie in bed and they wanted to take care of him.
‘We had a son together – eventually our love broke down but our friendship remained really strong. He became like a brother to me after that’ said Joanne Nunns.
‘I could talk to him about anything and I used to ring him all the time. We had so much in common – I’m originally from South Africa and he is originally from Zimbabwe so we had lots of memories to share.
‘Stuart was not only a father, brother, uncle, son and best friend. He was so much more. Stuart was kind, caring and loving. His compassion towards his family, friends, work colleagues, and animals were heartfelt and will be sadly missed. Stuart was a peaceful person, he enjoyed reading, he loved nature, and he enjoyed growing plants in his home.
‘Stuart was a kind, loving man, he would do absolutely anything to help a friend in need, he was generous and would often put others before himself. Even though we are all extremely shocked and saddened at the news of his passing, and our hearts are aching, we know that Stuart is at peace and no longer in pain or suffering.’
If he had been strong enough, Joanne said he would have undergone chemotherapy, but ‘we didn’t even get time for that.’
Stuart was a devout member of St Margret’s Church in Nottingham, and he also worked for the NHS in the payroll department.
Stuart’s family, including Joanne, Amber, and Stuart’s mother, are now raising funds to give him the kind send-off he deserves. They’ve put up a GoFundMe page to help with his funeral expenses.