A Kent family has been left devastated after a “courageous and beautiful” mother and grandmother passed away just one week after receiving a shock stage four cancer diagnosis .
Maria Mason, 57, of Ramsgate, was initially told by doctors at the Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother (QEQM) Hospital in Margate that she had pancreatic cancer on July 16. Tragically, after the disease was discovered to have already spread to her lungs, stomach, and lymph nodes, she died at Pilgrims Hospice on July 23 .
Her only child, Kay Mason-Johnson, 37, has spoken of her family’s shock and is now appealing for help to carry out her mother’s final wish to have her ashes scattered in Thailand .
A Swift and Devastating Diagnosis
Maria, who worked as a support worker for disabled children, initially attended A&E suffering from stomach pains and back discomfort . Believing the back pain to be related to arthritis, the family was unprepared for the news that would follow.
“We waited a couple of days at A&E then mum got admitted and they did tests,” Kay explained. “They said they could see something on her pancreas and did more tests and then said it was stage 4 cancer and had spread to her lungs, stomach lining and lymph nodes and there was nothing they could do” .
What the family hoped would be a routine investigation quickly turned into the worst possible news. The rapid deterioration left them with little time to process the diagnosis before the focus shifted to end-of-life care .
“We’ve still not really got our heads around it fully, because we were just trying to take in the fact that she’s got cancer and then the next minute, we’re now going to have to do pain management and end-of-life care,” Kay said .
A Life Defined by Love and Resilience
Maria was transferred from the hospital to Pilgrims Hospice in Margate to receive specialist palliative care. Despite the severity of her illness and the pain she was in, her daughter says Maria remained courageous and caring, leaving a lasting impression on the hospice staff .
Maria touched all the staff’s hearts,” Kay told The Isle of Thanet News. “They couldn’t believe how strong she was. She was so caring and mothering, making the other patients tea. Staff said she was an inspiration and they even spoke about her to their families” .
Describing her mother’s character, Kay said: “She was so strong, and she’s hilarious – she’s got the funniest sense of humour. She had the biggest heart and would help anyone she could, even when she had very little herself” .
She added: “She wasn’t defined by her struggles; she was defined by her love, her strength, and the way she kept fighting. Even in her final days, she showed courage that left everyone who knew and met her in awe” .
A Final Wish to Reunite with Her ‘Soulmate’
The family’s grief is compounded by the history Maria carried. She had been heartbroken for a quarter of a century after losing her beloved partner, Derek Saunders, in 2001 .
Kay described Derek as her mother’s “soulmate.” The couple, who met when Kay was just two years old, shared a decade together. They found their “little escapism” in Thailand, a country that became their special place .
After Derek’s passing, Kay and Maria scattered his ashes in Koh Samui . “When Derek passed away, a part of Mum went with him and she was never truly the same again,” Kay explained .
Maria’s final wish was to have her ashes scattered in Thailand so she could symbolically reunite with him. More than anything, we want to make that wish come true” .
The Reality of Pancreatic Cancer
Maria’s story highlights the aggressive nature of pancreatic cancer, which is often diagnosed at a late stage due to vague symptoms that can be mistaken for less serious conditions . Because the pancreas is deep inside the abdomen, tumors are rarely found early. By the time symptoms like back pain and stomach discomfort appear, the cancer has often spread, limiting treatment options.
The one-week timeline between Maria’s diagnosis and her death reflects the harsh reality faced by many patients with this disease.
A Fundraiser for a Final Journey
Maria had no savings, and her sudden decline meant she could not make financial arrangements for her funeral. To help cover costs and to take Maria to Thailand, Kay has launched a GoFundMe page aiming to raise £2,000 .
Maria is survived by her daughter, Kay; her son-in-law, Phoebe; her brother, Carl; and her sister, Helen . Her granddaughter also survives her .
Those who wish to contribute to the fundraiser to honour Maria’s final wishes can find it via Kay’s appeal on The Isle of Thanet News .
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