In memory of Laura ‘Lolly’ Gilmour

It is with great sadness that we have learned of the death of Laura ‘Lolly’ Gilmour.

Lolly was diagnosed in May 2020 with parosteal osteosarcoma. She became a great friend of the charity and recently appeared on Channel 4’s Stand Up To Cancer telethon.

In her memory, we are publishing the below feature which appeared in the programme for the Shining Star Awards this week. In the article, Lolly spoke about living with her illness and the help she had received from the Support Line at Sarcoma UK.

Everyone at Sarcoma UK sends condolences to her husband, Dan; children, Cooper and Wren; parents, Jean and Barry; and all of Lolly’s family and friends. 

Rest in peace, Lolly.

Laura ‘Lolly’ Gilmour, 42, is living with an incurable, less common form of cancer called parosteal osteosarcoma. Diagnosed in May 2020, she had 22cm of her thigh bone removed and replaced with titanium.  

Ten weeks after her operation, Lolly was using two crutches and learning to walk again. More scans and a full-body MRI confirmed that the cancer hadn’t spread anywhere else, however, Lolly’s consultant did notice a nodule in her left lung which they wanted to keep an eye on.

Lung nodules are small clumps of cells in the lungs. They are common, and most of these nodules aren’t cancerous, but healthcare professionals may need to monitor those which are larger, changing, or growing.
Lolly was invited back for regular monitoring scans and, in November 2020, she was told that a CT scan had shown another two nodules. She was referred to an oncologist, but the nodules were too small for a biopsy.

By March the following year, Lolly was ‘devastated’ and ‘petrified’ to learn that she had developed more lung nodules and the cancer cells had travelled and mutated into her lungs.
The biopsy revealed that Lolly’s cancer was incurable – the nodules were another form of her parosteal sarcoma.

Another blow came in August 2022 when another lump appeared on her titanium femur. After a biopsy, it was confirmed that the sarcoma had reoccurred in her right leg, resulting in the titanium femur being removed and replaced with a new one, and a complete knee replacement.

While in hospital after this operation, Lolly then noticed a lump on her left arm and, in November 2022, she endured another procedure to remove another sarcoma lump.

Despite all this, Lolly – who lives in Yeovil, Somerset, with her husband, Dan and their two children, Cooper, ten, and Wren, six – is determined to thrive and to remind the world that no matter what you’re facing you can be grateful for every snippet of life.

Fortunately, Lolly has found an amazing support system in the team at the Sarcoma UK Support Line, who gradually helped her come to terms with the diagnosis. She says: ‘I can’t control the fact that I have cancer but I can control how I deal with it.’

She added: ‘When I was diagnosed with sarcoma in 2020, it was my mum who discovered the Sarcoma UK helpline and it was her who took the first step to contacting the girls. After a lengthy conversation with Sam [Hackett], mum said I must contact the helpline as they would be such a huge support.

‘I, however, wasn’t keen and at that time didn’t feel I needed support from ‘outsiders’. As we all know with sarcoma, it is a very lonely cancer and finding someone who is in the same situation as you, with the same sarcoma, is so rare. It was in the lead-up to my major femur replacement surgery that I then decided to contact the girls as I felt lost with no idea what to expect. It was the best decision I have ever made and I kick myself that I didn’t contact the helpline as soon as I was diagnosed.’

Lolly says she had never called a support line before. ‘I’ve never really had the need to and in all honesty I like to think of myself as a strong character who is able to get through with help of friends and family. But cancer, sarcoma, is a different ball game and the love of friends and family wasn’t enough.’

Lolly was nervous when she made her first call. ‘I had no idea what to expect. I kept feeling like I was being over-dramatic and that I didn’t want to clog up the helpline with my woes when there were others out there who needed to chat more than me. However, Helen [Stradling] made me feel so at ease, not only did we discuss sarcoma and what I was going through, we talked about family and I felt so relaxed that when I got off the call, I was looking forward to my next chat with Helen.

‘They spoke English to me. Simplified what my oncologist or surgeon had said. They broke everything down for me into bite-size pieces that were easier to manage. They helped me to realise that, despite being diagnosed with incurable cancer, it wasn’t a life sentence – I could potentially live with my diagnosis for a very long time. They were able to answer my questions about treatment, and they allowed me to ask ‘stupid’ questions that I didn’t feel comfortable asking my oncologist.

‘Their emotional support is second to none. We’ve laughed together, got angry together and got upset together. I know they have my back and are with me all the way, virtually holding me up.’
Lolly added: ‘Nine times out of 10, when I ask for a call it’s because of bad news or because I’m feeling low. By the time I eventually get off the phone – Helen and I have been known to natter for well over an hour – I’m lighter, smiling and we’ve even laughed. The girls will put everything into perspective for me and switch on my logical brain and turn off my irrational, overthinking brain.’

She added that other family members have found the Support Line a great help.

‘My mum was the one to first contact the Support Line and she still contacts them every couple of weeks now or the girls will check in with her if they know I’ve been dealing with something tough. My mum is a worrier so it’s a comfort to me knowing the girls will talk sense to her and takes the pressure off me doing it.

‘My husband has also started checking in with Helen and, although he never tells me what they have discussed, I know again that Helen will take the worry away from me as to how everything is affecting my husband.’

Lolly still calls the helpline. ‘Three years later and it’s rare that a week goes by when I don’t speak to Helen or message the other girls. It’s a well-known fact that I call them my angels, life without my girls would be so much more frightening. They are my logical brain, they’ve become friends, and they know exactly how to calm me when cancer life becomes too hard.’

Lolly has a message for anyone thinking about contacting the Support Line. ‘Oh my word, please, please, please contact the Support Line! Cancer is scary at the best of times but sarcoma is another level – it’s rare, it’s not a ‘well known cancer’. Having a dedicated sarcoma support line with ex sarcoma clinical nurse specialists is worth its weight in gold. Contact the helpline and I promise you, you won’t regret it.’