A young Bristol mum has been overwhelmed by all the love and support from her community, as she spends her last precious moments with her family. Camilla Clark, from Bitton near Bristol, is preparing to say goodbye to her two-year-old son Joshua and husband, Ian.
The 32-year-old will have a final heartbreaking cuddle with her little one as she prepares to go into palliative care this week, having been diagnosed with leukaemia more than a year ago. Her sister Joanna Mulgrew, speaking on behalf Camilla, said that the journey from diagnosis to facing end of life care has been incredibly difficult with many harrowing moments.
She said it has only been made bearable by all the care and love from the communities of Bitton, Keynsham and the surrounding areas in Bristol. There have been two fundraising efforts on GoFundMe to help the Clark family cope with the financial pressures of Camilla’s illness, and a family fun day held last Friday. But a day prior to the event, Camilla was told the latest medication had not worked and to prepare for end of life care.
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Joanna said: “It has been amazing the number of people who have come forward to support Cam and our family during this time. It has been unbelievable. You realise there's lots of good humans and a massively wonderful community spirit."
Camilla was admitted to the Bristol Royal Infirmary on December 6, 2021 and was diagnosed with having Acute Myeloid Leukaemia (AML) after giving a blood sample. It is a particularly aggressive form of cancer and she started an intense 10 days of intravenous chemotherapy.
A few weeks later with no immunity left due to the chemotherapy, Camilla was diagnosed with sepsis from a severe infection. She was admitted into ICU where she went into septic shock. Joanne said: “It was devastating. Cam’s organs were failing her and she was placed on life support. A tortuous 14 days passed.”
Camilla, who’s known for her catchphrase “You got this’, fought the infection and by January 19 was taken off the mechanical ventilator and dialysis. Joanna said: “One of the first things she asked when she woke up was about Joshua’s nursery fees, that was her first concern.”
That was when the family started the first GoFundMe page raising enough funds to keep the family going for a while and of course, paying for Joshua’s nursery fees. Joanna said lots of chemotherapy followed for her sister, including a stem cell transplant in April where she (Joanna) was the donor.
Camilla rallied and was well for a few months, but by the beginning of July the stem cell therapy was no longer working. She started on a new drug which worked for a few months before the leukaemia returned.
“By December Cam was not well and we had one last throw of the dice with a non-funded treatment which we raised funds for, but unfortunately by the start of February, that was not working," said Joanna.
She added that a perfect example of Cam’s attitude was seen when they got home last week after her final diagnosis. She said: “Someone had left a mobility scooter in case it could help, so Cam jumped on it and rode around the village singing. She’s so determined, she’s made a difference to so many people and is one of the kindest people you’ll ever meet.
“She is saying goodbye to Joshua and treasuring their time together as a family. But Cam wanted everyone to know she will carry on fighting and that she’s been overwhelmed by all the support and has asked everyone to look after Josh and Ian going forward.”
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