“Best dad and husband”: Dean Stonehouse dies just four months after being diagnosed with ‘mystery’ cancer

A family was left stunned after the death of dad Dean Stonehouse from a mystery cancer. The 38-year-old was given the devastating diagnosis just months before he passed away, in October last year.

It came just four months after Dean complained of feeling "under the weather" and collapsed due to fatigue. His wife, Amy, took him for tests, which saw doctors reveal he was suffering with stage four cancer. However, doctors could never isolate the primary source of his illness, as they "just couldn't find it", the family said.

Dean, from Cardiff, passed away in October, leaving behind Amy and daughters Sophia and Leila, who were 13 and 11 when their dad was diagnosed. Now, the family is raising money for palliative care at the hospital where he was treated in his memory.

In a statement on the JustGiving page set up by Amy, she said: “We are doing this to raise money for the family room at Velindre Hospital, a place that offers comfort and support to those going through the toughest of times.

Dean and I discussed doing this walk for charity last year and I know Dean would be very happy and proud that we are continuing to do this. We loved walking Pen y Fan as a family.”

"Dean fought every step of the way," Amy told Wales Online. "He would say 'we are going fight this' and I genuinely didn't think what happened would. He was always thinking of others and was the best dad and husband."

The pair had been together for 20 years having met at university, she said, and that the family would "love him always and forever".

"Having to tell the girls was one of the worst things I have ever had to do," she went on. "Shortly after that we had the girls' birthdays, and then there was Christmas. I had to get the girls the flowers for Valentine's Day because that is something their dad always did.

"It has been so hard, some days it is hard to face the day and the emotions can hit you out of the blue, but we have so much support from family and friends. My work has been fantastic and Dean's colleague's at Mon Motors in Newport and Cwmbran have been there for us all. We just all want to make sure that Dean's wish can come true."

To raise money, Amy said the whole family is set to scale Pen-y-fan - South Wales' highest peak - something Dean had vowed to do, even during his treatment. Friends and family are being welcomed to join the family on their special walk to remember Dean and support a cause close to their hearts.

Donations will allow Velindre to continue to provide hope for the future and create an even better family room that Dean wanted. To make a donation, you can visit Amy’s JustGiving page.