THE loving parents of two young girls died from cancer just seven days apart.
Nigel Joyce was diagnosed with a glioblastoma brain tumour two years ago and passed away on May 31.
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His wife Marjan died on June 6 with triple negative breast cancer, which had spread to her brain.
They are survived by two daughters, aged four and eight.
Family friend Angela Hawkins said: “Marjan and Nigel will now shine bright together, one big, sparkly star.
“They have left behind two wonderful children, in whom we can see their shining spirit.”
Nigel, from Christchurch, New Zealand, was diagnosed with a brain tumour shortly before Marjan learned she had breast cancer.
Both underwent treatment, but faced an “unimaginably challenging time” over the last two years.
Nigel suffered a “health crisis” on April 25 and was admitted to end-of-life care.
He was given two weeks to live and passed away “with his sister by his side”.
Despite radiotherapy, Marjan began to experience vision loss and seizures.
She was told her cancer had spread to her brain, resulting in leptomeningeal disease – where cancer cells travel through the bloodstream and spread to the thin tissue layers covering the brain and spinal cord (the leptomeninges).
She was placed in hospice care and died yesterday morning.
Angela said Marjan would be remembered for her “quirky sense of humour and honest advice”, while Nigel was “the best tickle monster” whose “playful energy and caring nature touched everyone around him”.
Speaking to Chris Lynch Media, she added: “Their love and dedication to their family were evident in everything they did.
“They both loved life and cherished their family deeply.
“Despite facing a rough time in the last five weeks, both Marjan and Nigel never complained.
“They remained strong, united, and resilient, showing everyone the true meaning of love and dedication.
“The world was a better place for having both Nigel and Marjan in it.”
The most common cancers in the UK
- Breast
- Prostate
- Lung
- Bowel
- Melanoma skin cancer
- Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma
- Kidney
- Head and neck
- Brain, other CNS and intracranial tumours
- Pancreas
- Bladder
- Leukaemia
- Uterus
- Oseophagus
- Cancer of unknown primary
- Ovary
- Stomach
- Liver
- Myeloma
- Thyroid
- Other sites
Source: Cancer Research UK
A fundraising page on GiveALittle has been set up to support the family.
A joint funeral is taking place on Sunday, it is understood.
Breast cancer is the most common form of the disease in the UK, accounting for three in 20 cases.
About four per cent of women who have breast cancer will develop leptomeningeal disease.
Around 15 out of 100 breast cancers are triple negative, meaning cells don’t have receptors for the hormones oestrogen and progesterone or a protein called Human Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor 2 (HER2).
About 16,000 people are diagnosed with a brain tumour every year in the UK.
Just 12 per cent survive beyond five years of their diagnosis.