Student died from cancer after thinking pain in shoulder was sports injury
When Lulu Blundell was 15 years old, she was diagnosed with cancer.
At the time, doctors told the teen that she had Ewing’s Sarcoma, a rare type of cancer that affects the bones and surrounding tissue.
For eight months, she underwent intense rounds of chemotherapy, and eventually had to have her leg amputated before she was told that she was cancer free.
However, last April, Lulu began suffering some pain in her shoulder while at university.
Advert
Initially, the 19-year-old, from Rotherham, put it down to a sporting injury and didn't think much of it until she had a CT scan, which showed she had tumours in her chest, her ribs, and shoulder.
The specialist had to deliver the devastating news that sadly this time the cancer was terminal.
In the weeks that followed her diagnosis, Lulu grabbed hold of life, making the most of every second she had left with her loved ones.
She spent the summer travelling with those close to her, going to Magaluf with her mates, Amsterdam with her boyfriend Paddy, and on trips to London, Manchester, and Northumberland with her family.
"Danielle, her Teenage Cancer Trust Nurse, and NHS staff working at the charity’s units in Newcastle and Sheffield, went above and beyond to make sure she could do the things she wanted in the time she had left– like go to Glastonbury," said Lulu's mum, Carolyn.
"Things that might seem simple but take a lot of planning when somebody is very unwell.
“She went to the festival with her friends on a ton of pain relief – it was all arranged so that she could store and take it in the first aid tent. Had she become really unwell she wouldn’t have had to go to A&E, a named contact at the local hospital had been briefed about her whole history and was on hand if needed.”
And in September, just a few months before she passed away, she took part in the Run with Lulu 5k event, which raised money for Teenage Cancer Trust.
Crossing the finish line with a prosthetic leg and a broken shoulder blade, Lulu raised an incredible £21,000.
And a film, called Lulu: Forever 19, has now been made about her journey.
In it, Lulu thanked those who had given her so much support since her diagnoses.
"Every single nurse, therapist, social worker that has worked alongside me has been my little ray of sunshine," she says.
"Time and time again through chemo, remission and relapse they have saved my life whether that be physically or mentally…
“I hope after reading this I’ve inspired you to do the things you said you were going to do tomorrow, make the people around you smile, and stop worrying about the things that don’t need worrying about. Life is too short.”
Sadly, Lulu died on New Year's Day this year, defying all expectations.
Carolyn told Yorkshire Live: "We didn’t think she’d make it to Christmas, but she wanted to show Robin, her oncology consultant, that she’d get to 2023, and she made it to New Year’s Day."
Dr Louise Soanes, Chief Nurse, Teenage Cancer Trust, added: “We are so thankful to Lulu and her family for their fundraising and sharing their story, which will help so many other young people with cancer.
“No parent wants to ever imagine having to help their child come to terms with a terminal diagnosis, plan where they’d prefer to die, or their funeral, but these are the difficult conversations that are needed to be had every day across the UK for many young people with cancer and their loved ones."
Dominic Smithers