A beloved mum died from a type of cancer so rare that even some nurses treating her hadn't heard of it before, her husband has said.
Lesley Turner died at the age of just 40 in July last year after fighting bravely against angiosarcoma.
She had been diagnosed in November 2021 after finding a lump in her breast, with the couple told that her condition was 'incurable'.
During various trips to Northern General and Weston Park hospitals in Sheffield, Lesley and her husband Rob learnt how rare angiosarcoma was after discovering that some nurses treating her had never heard of it.
Rob told the newspaper that the couple "knew pretty quickly that it was serious" - but says Lesley's response was simply to smile and tell him "I'm still here.'"
The mum-of-one asked doctors not to tell her how much time she had left, reports Yorkshire Live.
Rob, 41, said: "She had chemotherapy for about four months but she always had a smile on her face and said 'if you don't laugh, you'll cry' - so we tried to just get on with it."
He has now spoken of his wish to honour his wife's memory by raising money in her honour.
The mum-of-one spent the last five days of her life at St Luke's Hospice in Sheffield, and made Rob 'promise' if he did any fundraising it would go to the palliative care centre.
Praising the hospice, Rob said: "They took really good care - not only of Lesley but all the visitors including me. They gave me a bed and fed and watered me - they took really good care of everybody."
The couple, who had eight-year-old son Liam together, met in Glasgow back in 2007 when he was fitting out an Iceland store.
Lesley - originally from Stranraer in Dumfries and Galloway - was the store manager, and the pair began to hit it off.
A smitten Rob left his future wife an Easter egg with a note attached before he left back to Sheffield, and decided to begin a relationship after visiting each other for year.
He offered to move north of the border to Glasgow, but Lesley claimed he "wouldn't last five minutes" and so she relocated to Sheffield.
The lovers eventually bought their first house together, and were married on June 14, 2014 at Stannington Church.
Describing Lesley's personality, Rob said: "She was kind. She only found the fun side of things - she was just fun and brilliant to be around.
"She was genuine person, not fake. And she always let you know how she felt."
Rob also spoke of how Lesley's death had been "tough" for Liam, but said "he has lots of friends at school helping him and a loving family around him".
Being around cardmaking at school in the lead-up to Mother's Day had been particularly difficult for him however, he said, with Rob and Liam's grandparents offering him help and support.
Keeping his promise to Lesley, Rob has now raised nearly £4,500 for St Luke's Hospice with a GoFundMe campaign, smashing his original goal of £3,500.
He has also organised a golf tournament at Hillsborough Golf Club in the city on May 12, something which he hopes will raise £10,000 for the charity.
