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A U.K. mom of two was diagnosed with a terminal brain tumor shortly after she developed migraines and other cognitive struggles
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Although treatment kept the symptoms at bay, Charlotte Coxon died three years after she was diagnosed with glioblastoma
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Her husband, Johnny, says Charlotte worked hard to prepare their young children, explaining, “She had a deep understanding of grief”
A mom of two’s final act was to “work incredibly hard to help prepare” her young children for life without her, following her devastating and sudden terminal cancer diagnosis.
Charlotte Coxon began experiencing a puzzling mix of symptoms at the end of 2021 — severe headaches along with trouble writing and driving, her husband, Johnny, told The Daily Mail.
Coxon, who hailed from the English county of Leicestershire, sought medical care in January 2022. Doctors diagnosed her with glioblastoma, an aggressive form of brain cancer with “no cure,” the Mayo Clinic explains.
Brain Tumour Research Charity / SWNS
(Clockwise from left:) Charlotte, Johnny, Thomas, and Anna Coxon.
Treatment, Johnny said, was surgery to remove the initial tumor, followed by chemotherapy and radiation. “We’d hoped that removing the tumor would solve all our problems,” Johnny, 39, told the outlet.
“Charlotte wanted to keep active despite everything she was going through,” he said. She decided to focus heavily on helping the local community, supporting our son’s school on class trips, and as an active volunteer, to raise funds for their child’s school.
At first, the treatment seemed to be working, Johnny said. “Until 2024, she didn’t show any significant new symptoms,” he explained. “So we made the most of that time, going on holidays as a family, and Charlotte spent as much quality time with the children as possible.”
Brain Tumour Research Charity / SWNS
(Clockwise from left:) Thomas, Charlotte, Anna, and Johnny Coxon.
But it all changed in March when scans showed that Charlotte’s tumor had grown.
“Charlotte worked incredibly hard to help prepare our children for what was to come,” Johnny said. “She had a deep understanding of grief and made every effort to ensure the children, Thomas and Anna, then 6 and 3, would feel supported.”
That July, Charlotte was hospitalized after waking up with a debilitating migraine. She never returned home. On July 9, Charlotte died at age 39, surrounded by her family. As Thomas told the outlet, the children “miss their mum deeply and often talk about her, but they’re coping remarkably well.”
Brain Tumour Research Charity / SWNS
Charlotte Coxon died three years after her terminal brain cancer diagnosis.
“I know Charlotte would be relieved to see how they’re handling everything; she would be so proud of their strength,” said Thomas, who is raising money in his late wife’s name for Brain Tumour Research. As he explains, they want to “find a cure for the disease that took Charlotte from us.”
“It’s been incredibly tough for us since Charlotte’s passing,” he said. “She was a fantastic mum and always full of laughter. She had so many friends and was just a wonderful, warm presence.”
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