Tributes are flooding in to a grandmother-of-15 who died after more than a year of fighting kidney and lung cancer.
Much-loved Joan Hughes, 66, from Bywood in Hanworth, has been described by her family as “incredibly popular”, “outgoing” and someone with a “wicked sense of humour” following her death last Wednesday.
Joan was diagnosed with kidney cancer in 2007, but after campaigning to the NHS with help from her friends and family, she was given access to Sunitinib, a drug which beat her cancer into remission and ultimately extended her life.
However, late last year the strong drugs took their toll and she became too weak to carry on taking them.
Her husband Ken, 70, was with her when she died.
He said: “She was my best friend ever. I’m trying to ease through it day by day but every day you get up and it just starts again.
“It’s a lot of grief and a little relief – in the last couple of weeks she didn’t really have a life.”
Mother-of-six Joan worked in the old Spar store, now a Co-op, near her house in Bywood for 15 years after her and Ken moved to Bracknell from East Acton, London, in 1984.
Before that she had worked as a bingo-caller and once dressed up as a bunny girl wearing roller skates to call out the numbers. Unfortunately the evening ended in casualty after she fell and chipped her coccyx.
Since she died her family have been overwhelmed by the cards and messages from well-wishers.
Daughter Helen Peters, 43, said: “She touched so many people.”
Joan’s funeral is being held on Tuesday, April 7, at 3pm at Easthampstead Park Crematorium followed by a gathering at Hanworth Social Club.