Sunderland family's St Benedict's Hospice fundraising drive in memory of mum-of-two who died aged just 38

There’s been an outpouring of love and support following the death of Beth Junkin who died in April this year, after four years of treatment for cervical cancer.

It was just months after the birth of their second son, Olly, in July 2019 that Beth, then 34, and husband Mark were given the devastating news that she had terminal stage-four cancer. Olly was just two months old and his big brother Joe was four.

The mum, who lived in Biddick, Washington, had never had a positive smear test or unexplained bleeding, which can often be an indicator of the cancer, but she had experienced pain in her left kidney and swelling in her leg, which doctors had believed was down to her pregnancy.

But after giving birth, her symptoms remained, and doctors investigated further.

Despite being given a prognosis of 18 months initially, Beth went on to defy doctors’ predictions and responded incredibly well to her first six rounds of chemotherapy treatment, as well as a new immunotherapy drug. This was then extended to 12 rounds, but Beth only completed 11 due to Covid.

Life returned to normal, her hair grew back, she was able to go back to work full time as a psychology lecturer at Newcastle Sixth Form College and she had a much-needed holiday to Portugal with Mark and their young sons in May 2022.

Such was her remarkable progress that she had gone from a palliative prognosis to six-monthly check ups to doctors anticipating she could go into remission.

"She was doing amazing,” said Mark, 39, who met Beth when they were both students at University of Sunderland, with Beth going on to do her PHD at the university whilst also lecturing there until she took up a new position at Newcastle College in 2014.

"Beth loved teaching that age group, she was known as the mother of the college,” said Mark. “I’ve had so many messages from students who say she helped them when they felt suicidal or had eating disorders. She went above and beyond and would even take them to counselling sessions outside of college.”

Mark, who works in IT, added: “We would still worry about planning things and I would panic if she was unwell, but we would have a check up at six months and she was doing brilliantly, and brilliantly at the one after that. So much so, the oncologist said they would only need to see her once a year. To go from being on her death bed to looking at remission was incredible.

"For us it was amazing, we felt like a normal family. The shadow of cancer was there, but it had shrunk, to the point where we could plan for a future.”

However, in November 2022, the family’s lives were once again turned upside down when Beth began to experience pain in her hip. After tests at Newcastle’s Freeman Hospital, the couple were then given the heart-breaking news that the cancer had returned and was growing, spreading to lymph nodes in her chest and throat.

The couple made the decision to try chemotherapy again.

"Beth was such a fighter, she wouldn’t give up. She was young and had two young boys and the kids at the college,” said Mark.

Beth’s condition went rapidly downhill from that point, however, and the next few months were a challenging period of getting the dosage of pain medication just right and trying chemotherapy.

At the start of Beth’s cancer diagnosis, the family’s neighbour, Michelle Bramwell, a palliative care nurse at St Benedict’s had put them in touch with the hospice in Ryhope.

And it was during Beth’s final months that they became an invaluable support for Beth and her family, giving them the specialist care and compassion they needed.

"Judith at the hospice became Beth’s community palliative nurse and she was incredible,” said Mark. Beth was supported at home as much as possible, however, the boys would get upset that mammy couldn’t play with them as she once had.

"Joe would get upset when Beth lost her hair again,” said Mark. “He has autism and struggles without routine. He has the same auburn colour hair as Beth and that’s his pride, he says ‘I have the same hair as mammy,’ so for her to lose her hair again was very triggering for him.”

In February this year, Beth spent a month of respite care in the hospice, giving her the specialist palliative care she needed as well as alternative therapies. The hospice team embraced the whole family and would arrange movie nights for the boys.

Though she was still at end of life, Beth did show some improvement in symptoms and was able to return to the family home this spring for just over a week.

However, she began to experience breathing problems and had to go to Gateshead’s Queen Elizabeth Hospital, who’d treated her throughout her cancer battle, alongside the Freeman Hospital.

She was moved to the QE’s St Bede’s unit for palliative care as a bed wasn’t available at St Benedict’s, who only have 14 in-patient beds. By the time a bed became available for her, however, Beth felt too poorly to be moved and she passed away at St Bede’s on April 11, 2023, which was Olly’s fourth birthday.

Her final days were spent with her loving family, including sisters Jess and Katie, mum Sue, dad Bob and mother in law Lesley.

Mark had to return to the family home on the day of Beth’s death for Olly’s birthday and the family chose to not tell the boys until the following day so the children could enjoy the day.

"You know it’s going to happen, but nothing prepares you for it,” said Mark. “That day, we opened Olly’s presents and I just felt numb. But we had to do what we had to for the little ‘uns.

"Telling them the next day was the most horrendous, hardest thing I’ve ever done in my life. But Beth always said ‘the boys will get you through this, and they have.”

Throughout it all, St Benedict’s has been a huge help to the family, and Mark and the boys still receive specialist counselling at the hospice, which is as much there for the families as it is the patients.

To thank the hospice, which is only part-funded by the NHS and relies on donations, the family has thrown themselves into fundraising.

Beth’s sister Jess is married to the chairman of Redditch United FC, Dave Faulkner, who have raised £8,000 for the hospice with further funds raised by family, friends and the college where Beth worked taking the total to more than £20,000.

Joe and Olly, who attend Biddick Primary School, where they have been greatly supported, are also doing their bit and will be doing the Mini Great North Run in September, with Joe running in no 38, because of his mum’s age, and Olly running in no 99, because he likes the number.

You can help the boys with their fundraiser by donating to their Just Giving page at www.justgiving.com/page/mark-junkin