A Yorkshire mum-of-four died just 12 days after being diagnosed with cancer.
Billie-Joe Graham, from Hull, sadly passed away two days before she was due to begin treatment, aged 49. She had recently become a grandmother when she received the devastating news that she had terminal stomach cancer which had spread to her liver.
According to Yorkshire Live, her husband paid tribute to his wife, describing her as "the most selfless person" who would go out of her way to help others. The midwife, who continued working up until her passing, was yet to inform her friends and family of her diagnosis.
Kenny Graham, from South Shields, said: "She was everything for everybody else but herself. She never wanted anything for herself. She was the most selfless person. We had four kids and it was always the kids first, everything for them, never for her."
Billie-Joe worked as a midwife for South Tyneside Healthcare Trust from 1994. But before her role in the NHS, she worked in the Army as a nurse and served on the front line in the Gulf War, reports Chronicle Live.
Upon her return to the UK 30 years ago, Billie-Joe met Kenny during a visit to the North East from her hometown of Hull. They married in 1997 and went on to have four children - Toby, 17, Neevie, 25, Jai, 27, and Zak, 29 - as well as a granddaughter, aged two.
In celebration of her upcoming 50th birthday and 25th wedding anniversary in July 2022, Billie-Joe and Kenny had planned to travel to see the Northern Lights, which she had always dreamed of seeing. But unfortunately, they never got the chance to go.
She passed away on April 10, 2022, following her diagnosis 12 days earlier on March 29. She had visited the doctor with stomach pains, which she thought could have been gallstones.
Kenny, 53, said: "She didn't feel well on the Saturday, and I just knew something wasn't right. An ambulance came and the paramedics carried her out. Her last words were 'I love you' which she shouted to the kids as she was getting carried downstairs."
He added: "Billie didn't tell any of her friends or family when she was diagnosed with cancer because she didn't want anyone to know. They kind of knew, they suspected it, but she never told anyone, which was really sad because a lot of people never really got the chance to say goodbye.
"We didn't tell the kids that she had terminal cancer, we just told them she had cancer. She was due to start treatment on the Monday and then she was taken into hospital on the Saturday night, 12 days after being diagnosed. She wasn't even on the sick from work."
Billie-Joe passed away with her family by her side, including her parents who travelled from Hull to be with their daughter. The family have been left heartbroken by their loss and Kenny is now hoping to continue his wife's legacy of helping others by fundraising for Cancer Research and families in need.
