The family of NHS healthcare assistant Clair Honeywood, 45, are rallying support to help her fulfill a deeply personal wish – to marry her long-term partner, Danny Burch, 40. Diagnosed with stage three pancreatic cancer and given a mere five percent chance of survival with chemotherapy, Clair’s dream of a wedding after 21 years together has become a beacon of hope amid her devastating prognosis.
Clair, a dedicated healthcare worker from King’s Lynn, Norfolk, first suspected something was wrong when what she believed to be IBS pain escalated into severe “agony.” Her condition worsened, and after noticing her skin turning yellow, she finally sought medical help. At her local hospital, doctors detected an unusual anomaly in her pancreas, and weeks later, she received life-altering news. Reflecting on that difficult moment, she revealed, “They didn’t want to give me my diagnosis because I was alone,” she shared. “My poor consultant didn’t want to tell me but I begged him to tell me”, reported the Express.
Once the diagnosis was confirmed, she recalled, “The doctors told me that the cancer had not spread – but then they said it was not operable.” The tumor, located around a major artery, renders surgery too risky even if chemotherapy shrinks it. With a grim outlook, Clair has embarked on a challenging course of treatment. “The doctors said to just go home and make memories. I am only 45 and you don’t expect to go through this at this age. There is still hope but at the moment I am just focusing on the three months in chemotherapy. Life is for living – the body can’t survive without the mind so I have to be positive. Working in the NHS you see traumatic things and you push it aside – I don’t know if it is a coping mechanism”, according to the Mirror.
Her oncologist has been clear about the prognosis: “The oncologist said six months worth of chemo and gave me 17 months to live. It is a C-shaped tumor wrapped around the artery. It is not normal for someone my age to get this cancer – it is a silent cancer too it is really tricky. When you don’t know what’s happening your mind just goes to some dark places.”
Throughout her ordeal, Clair’s thoughts remain with her children and her long-time love. “You just feel like your whole world ended – you just think about your kids,” she admitted. Yet, she clings to optimism. “I feel like I have been given the gift of time. I am spending more time with my boys – I have to look at the positives.”
Her heart is set on a simple, countryside wedding that reflects cherished memories. “My partner Danny had been talking about getting married and my friend offered her hand to do the wedding in a farm which reminds me of my dad’s home in the countryside.” With community fundraising efforts now in motion, friends and family are coming together to ensure her last wish is realized. As she joyfully recounted, “We have been together for 21 years and it has been crazy that it took us this long to get married. He keeps looking at me and saying ‘I can’t wait for you to be my wife’.” Looking ahead, Clair added, “It is going to be such a perfect day to get together with all of my friends and family that you don’t get with when you are working,” she said. “Me and Danny have been together for 21 years and it has been crazy that it took us this long to get married. He keeps looking at me and saying ‘I can’t wait for you to be my wife’.”
