James’s Memorial

Hello to all,

Many of you have asked me what support you can give to keep James in our thoughts so I've decided to set up a go fund me page. This is so any of James’s friends can make a donation towards a special memorial where all his family and friends can visit him.

James’ Story…

James Reed aged 45, died 27th November 2024 in tragic circumstances. He had an extremely rare, aggressive cancer.  

In May ’24 he found a small lump on his neck whilst shaving. He went to the doctors to report the lump and also complained about fatigue.  He was dismissed several times until eventually his fatigue was that bad, he went to A&E.  After many negative tests one particular Doctor became suspicious of a certain type of cancer and decided to do a specific test for it.  The test came back positive. Several scans later he was diagnosed with Stage 4 Metastatic Medullary Thyroid Cancer which had spread to his bones and liver.  

Medullary Thyroid Cancer is very hard to treat, but certain types of genetic profiles can be responsive to certain therapies.  Unfortunately, the genetic profile of James’ cancer could only be matched to 1 treatment which had only a 50/50 chance of success.  James decided to have the treatment and he had to wait 8 to 12 weeks to determine if the treatment was working.  During that time James was hospitalised on 5 separate occasions for pain management.  Unfortunately, his pain was that severe it was never managed consistently and he suffered tremendously. He relied heavily on his families care and support to keep him positive throughout his challenging journey.

In November ’24 whilst in hospital suffering from an infection, he received his test results which showed the treatment had not worked and the tumours had continued to grow and spread. Heartbreakingly, he was given a life expectancy of only months to live. The cancer grew rapidly and took James life 6 days later.  He didn’t have time to say any goodbyes to his loved ones, or prepare his family for what was to come.

James was an extremely fit 45-year-old, who never smoked, or excessively drank alcohol. He was very sporty and was an avid cyclist.  

James was admired and loved by many people; he was known for his fantastic sense of humour and his ability to make you laugh.  Even in his final days he still managed to wind some of the nurses up, and of course, his family!

May all your prayers and thoughts be with him and his family as we all come to terms with the loss of James. He was a true gentleman and someone who can never be forgotten.

Please consider his family’s privacy at this very tragic time.