A young widow and mother of two from Paulton has been honoured by the RUH for her tireless work fundraising in her husband’s memory, resulting in a massive £15,600 to date being raised for the Forever Friends Appeal’s Cancer Care Campaign.

Ellie Nowell, her two children, Morris and Marcie and the family were presented with a glass memento to honour Steve Nowell, who passed away in March 2014 from a rare form of cancer, Adenoid Cystic Carcinoma, aged 37.

Ellie and Steve met when they were seventeen and nineteen-years-old, going through their university years together, travelling and buying their first home. Shortly after their wedding, Steve was given the devastating diagnosis by his doctor, having to undergo surgery and intense radiotherapy. When Ellie was pregnant with their second child, they were told that Steve’s cancer had spread.

“Whilst Ellie was still getting over the shock that Steve was taken from her far too early, she found comfort in the good that can come out of the darkest situations,” says Jan Witt, from the Forever Friends Appeal. “She set up a tribute fund in Steve’s name to help raise funds towards the Cancer Care Campaign, so that his memory will help other people and their families who are going through tough times.

“It is a sad fact that many of us in the community will experience the facilities of the new Cancer Centre when it opens, either as patients or visiting friends or a family member. Ellie knows that this exceptional new build will make the journey of fighting cancer more comfortable, providing a holistic and highly beneficial approach to care.

“When Ellie first heard about the plans for a new Cancer Centre, she hoped that Steve would benefit, but now she knows that his memory will help others that will use the facility in future.”

Since their devastating loss, Ellie and Steve’s families aimed to raise £10,000 towards the RUH Cancer Care Campaign and surpassing this, are still going. Ellie and her friends have run the Bristol 10k, with the family organising two music events in Steve’s honour, as he was a talented guitarist in a band himself. Many local businesses also gave generously to a raffle to further boost funds, and a recent Cabaret evening in January, plus donations to recognise special anniversaries during the year, has meant that the total has kept increasing.

“With the £10,000 raised, this will enable naming opportunities in the new build,” adds Jan, “So Steve’s name will be honoured for many years to come. A very big thank you to the family for choosing to support us at a very difficult time.

“Ellie is a truly inspirational person.”