A mum-of-two died of a brain tumour after suffering from what she believed were symptoms of the menopause.
Sarah Hawkes passed away at her home in Chapel Park, Newcastle, after experiencing migraines and brain fog. The 45-year-old's family were devastated by her death and had no idea what had caused her to pass away in her sleep.
It wasn't until they received a report from the coroner that they discovered she had a stage four brain tumour. Medics had arranged for her to have a brain scan however she lost her life before the appointment took place.
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Her heartbroken husband James has described the brain tumour which she had as a "silent killer". The 46-year-old said: "She was lovely, beautiful, friendly and caring. She had a good sense of humour. She was an all round good girl. She was our rock.
"She had gone into the doctors herself saying 'I think it's premenopausal'. She suffered for quite a bit and she knew something wasn't right so she kept going back. She didn't let it show that it was affecting her.
"I'm just glad, in a way, that it was over for her quickly. It would have been incurable so it would have been preventable for a year. It would have been horrendous for the kids and Sarah to go through.
"I don't want to scare people but I want to raise awareness. If you think something is wrong get it checked and push for it."
Sarah grew up in Newcastle with her parents Gordon and Maureen Robson and her sister Lisa, who was three years older than her. Lisa, who was severely disabled after getting meningitis as a baby, passed away at the age of 21.
When Sarah was 18, she trained to be a nurse at university in Lincoln and spent five years living in the city. During a holiday to Kavos, Greece, in 1999 she met James, who lived in Basingstoke.
They travelled to see each other for around a year before making the decision to move to Newcastle together. They went on to get married and have two children - Molly, 14, and Oliver, 11.
Sarah worked as a community nurse for people with learning disabilities and was dedicated to her job. However at the beginning of 2022 she began to feel unwell and had to take time off work.
She already suffered from migraines so put the symptoms, which included headaches and memory loss, down to being Perimenopausal and was initially treated for it with medication and an neurological examination.
James, who works as a guidance analyst for HMRC, said: "She was a battler really, she wasn't really a complainer. She just got on with things. It was a big thing for her to come away from work and take time off.
"We had been to the doctors a few times and they said a scan was her next step."
However before Sarah was able to attend an appointment for a brain scan, she sadly lost her life on June 20 last year.
James said the night before she died she had been pacing the landing and complained of having the worst headache she'd ever had.
He said: "I got up, took the kids to school and, as she was up late, I thought I would leave her to it. I went out on my bike on my lunch hour and I came back at like 1pm. I thought I can't believe she's still not up."
He said Gordon, who also lives with Maureen in Chapel Park, had called to see if Sarah wanted to go on a walk with him but, due to her still asleep, he carried on on his own.
James said he later went into the bedroom where Sarah was sleeping and discovered that she wasn't breathing. He rang to get help from his neighbour, who was a firefighter, and rang Gordon to tell him to come straight back.
Retired factory worker Gordon, 76, said: "When I got there paramedics were there and James was sitting outside. I knew straight away. The coroner's report went to James and he sent it to us. We couldn't believe it, we're still devastated now.
"We still look for her and when the phone rings we still say 'That might be Sarah on the phone'. I feel it's a blessing that she didn't know it was a brain tumour. For her to go through that would have been horrendous.
"She was a lovely person and easy to get on with. Me and Sarah went to the Olympics in London together, we used to go all over together. Nobody can believe it. Everybody says the same thing - 'she was always smiling'."
Retired auxiliary nurse Maureen, 73, described her daughter as a "nice natured girl" who was caring and had lots of friends. She said: "She was good as gold since the day she was born. She had a lovely personality.
"She was struggling to remember things and her friends said to take time off. She was going to the doctors and she thought she had symptoms of the menopause, that's what she was getting treated for.
"She was a little bit emotional sometimes when she was talking to you, but we put that down to the menopause as well. Even when she was poorly she didn't complain. She was carrying on trying to be as normal as she could.
"Her kids went to school and when they came home she was gone. I'm glad she didn't know about the brain tumour, she wouldn't have survived it.
"We lost our other daughter when she was 21 and I never dreamt this would happen to Sarah. We still haven't come to terms with it, I don't think we ever will."
Following Sarah's death, Oliver wanted to do something for charity in honour of his mother. The family decided they would raise funds by virtually walk more than 4000 miles from their house in Newcastle to Sarah's favourite place, Disneyland Florida.
They began the challenge of walking everyday in October last year and will complete the last few steps in Disneyland Florida when they visit on May 23 - Sarah's birthday. They have already raised almost £10,000 on their Just Giving page for The Brain Tumour Charity.
James, who is also getting a memorial bench in Callerton in memory of Sarah, said: "Oliver desperately wanted to do something to raise awareness.
"It's been huge for the kids. Oliver has been checking (the total) everyday. It's given them a massive lift, it's nice for them to see the money go up. It's been a nice distraction for them.
"It is going well. She was liked and loved by lots of people and I want to say a massive thank you."
Four of Sarah's friends - Wendy Jackson, 42, Clare McCartney, 43, Helen Haycock, 46, Nicola Hudson, 48, will mark Brain Tumour Awareness Month this month by taking part in a 'Walk for Friendship' in memory of her. They have also raised more than £500 for The Brain Tumour Charity on their Just Giving page.
They will walk a 5km circular route of the bridges on the Quayside on Sunday evening. Those taking part will meet at the Cycle Hub on the Newcastle side at 4pm. Anybody who was friends with Sarah is welcome to attend.
Wendy, who lives in Westerhope, Newcastle, said: "It's all about people coming together to talk about Sarah and share memories as they walk along. She meant so much to everyone. It's something we can all do together.
"It's about raising awareness because of what happened to Sarah. She didn't know she had a brain tumour so she didn't know she was going to die.
"She was just so special to everybody and she did anything for anybody. She was the type of person you wanted as your friend."
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