Thousands raised for 'incredibly strong' mum who died after seven-year battle with cancer

Tributes have flooded in for an "incredibly strong" young mum who has died after a lengthy battle with cancer.

Jody Oxley, who was 29, fought the disease for seven years, having first being diagnosed in 2017. But sadly the mum of two passed away early in 2024.

Since her death, our sister website Doncaster Free Press reports, that cash has poured in to pay for her funeral and for her grieving family. Almost £3,000 has been raised so far, and you can donate to the appeal HERE

Campaign organiser Rebekah Millar said: “It’s with an extremely heavy heart that I write this, but Jody lost her battle with cancer, after around eight years of fighting. She is so incredibly strong and fought with everything she had right till the end.

"She was the best sister to her four brothers, cherished daughter, niece, auntie, and an amazing mum to her two beautiful children Marshall and Lilly. She was an inspiration to so many people, and by far the strongest person I’ll ever meet.

"She was unbelievably brave throughout her whole journey and I know this news will touch so many hearts. It’s an extremely hard time for all her family, but knowing that’s she’s at peace and no longer in pain, gives some comfort.

She continued: "She will always be a huge piece of our hearts and will never be forgotten, not just for how incredibly strong she is, but for being the most genuine, kind hearted person, that we’ll ever meet. We know she’ll always be watching over us all, and we’ll see her in the next life.

"We love you Jody. The world feels emptier without you in it. Taken far to soon. I’ve made this GoFundMe, hoping to try and raise some money for her funeral, to give her the send off she deserves. If there’s anything remaining it will go to her two children.

"Anything you can spare is appreciated. Fly high beautiful.”

In an interview published in 2019, Jody explained how she had was diagnosed with cervical cancer after noticing “irregular bleeding” at the age of 22. She was told she was "too young" to get checked on the NHS and decided to go private - and was shocked to be told she not only had cervical cancer, but would be dead in nine months without treatment.

She said: “I first noticed the bleeding in August 2016. I didn’t think much of it, because I’d just had the contraceptive implant in my arm and assumed it was a side-effect of that.

“I’d also given birth to my daughter Lilly 12 months earlier, so thought it might be my body still adjusting. But my symptoms continued to get worse – my mum told me to go to the doctor, but I kept putting it off, hoping it would sort itself out.

“I didn’t think it could be cancer – there was no family history, and every woman has irregular periods from time to time, I told myself. By Christmas I was in a bad way, with really heavy bleeding and discharge, so in the new year I finally booked to go and see my GP.

“By this time I’d read something on Facebook about cervical cancer, Googled my own symptoms and told her I thought this is what I had. She laughed at me when I suggested this, and told me it’s “just the implant”.

“I felt so angry and annoyed to be talked down to like that, like a child. She couldn’t deny my bleeding and discharge, of course, so sent me for swabs and an ultrasound to check for infections or an STD.

“I was in pain, I was bleeding massively and the discharge was getting worse, so something was obviously very wrong with me.

“My GP simply said that nothing indicated she should refer me to see a specialist, and I was too young to have a smear test. By now I was bleeding so much that no amount of sanitary pads could absorb it. I decided I had to take this into my own hands.

“I borrowed some money and rang the private Park Hill Hospital to pay for a smear. A few days later I finally got to see a consultant gynaecologist, who rolled his eyes when I explained I wanted a smear – again I presume because he thought I was too young.

“But the moment he got me on his table to examine me, he knew this was very, very serious. He asked how I was getting home, so I told him my partner Andy Knightson, a security worker, was outside with our daughter Lilly, who was asleep in the car.

“I called Andy, telling him to come in straight away. I asked the doctor “It’s cancer, isn’t it? Has it spread?” His silence spoke a thousand words. The nurse in the room had started crying, as did I, and when Andy came in, he started crying too.

“The consultant told me I’d need a biopsy and a CT scan, which were done in the next few days. Those confirmed my suspicions had been right all along. I had stage 2B locally advanced cervical cancer and a 5.6cm tumour on my cervix.

“The consultant told me I’d need a biopsy and a CT scan, which were done in the next few days. Those confirmed my suspicions had been right all along. I had stage 2B locally advanced cervical cancer and a 5.6cm tumour on my cervix.”

In January 2018, she had sugery to remove her cervix, womb, ovaries and surrounding lymph nodes.

“It also removed all the tumour but the margins on one side weren’t clear – so the surgeon told me there could still be cancer cells,” she said.

A charity football match has been organised in memory of Jody which will take place on January 26 at 8pm.

The 11 a side game will take place at Trinity Academy Thorne between White Hart Veteran All Stars and The Andrew Knightson Select 11, with all proceeds going to Jody’s family.

A spokesman said: “This is an opportunity to raise some serious money to give her the memorial she deserves." It costs £10 per player donation or “whatever you can afford” and all footballers are welcome.