![\"Will](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/0_will.jpg\")
Will McLaren passed away while his wife Shona was battling cancer<\/p>\n“We literally went from being that happy family with years ahead of us to having months left, then only hours and that was heartbreaking.”Will McLaren passed away while his wife Shona was battling cancer<\/p>\n
A heartbroken Ayrshire mum has told of the bittersweet moment medics said her cancer was shrinking while her husband was dying from the disease.<\/p>\n
Courageous Shona MacLaren lost her partner Will to cancer while she was still undergoing chemotherapy – her final session taking place five days before Will was laid to rest.<\/p>\n
The Stevenston mum of two feels hugely proud of how her daughter Thea, eight, and son Mason, four, have coped since their dad, popular Ayrshire Tornado basketball coach Will MacLaren died from bowel cancer aged 41.<\/p>\n
Will was Shona’s rock when she was diagnosed with cervical cancer on May 20 2022, less than a year after the birth of the couple\u2019s second child, Mason.<\/p>\n
She faced nine sessions of chemotherapy, 25 external radiotherapy sessions and four brachytherapy sessions at the West of Scotland Beatson Cancer Centre in Glasgow. When the chemotherapy meant Shona\u2019s hair started to fall out, husband Will stepped in to shave it off, helped by their daughter Thea who cut Shona\u2019s pony tail off.<\/p>\n
By then Will was experiencing his own health issues. He suffered from ulcerative colitis, causing inflammation and sores inside the bowel. During the summer of 2022, he had severe pain in his abdomen. When the pain worsened, Will was admitted to hospital on August 22 for further tests. Just 24 hours later, the couple were devastated to hear the news that Will had advanced bowel cancer which was terminal. He died in Ayrshire Hospice on September 1, 2022 aged 41.<\/p>\n
Now Shona has shared her story on the small screen in a bid to help other families.<\/p>\n
Shona, who completed chemotherapy treatment for cervical cancer while grieving for the love of her life, spoke movingly in a four minute film on Channel 4 for Stand Up To Cancer. This year\u2019s Stand Up To Cancer campaign culminates in a evening of television tonight (December 12). Fronted by Davina McCall and Adam Hills, alongside a host of celebrity guests, the live broadcast will feature special editions of much-loved shows like Celebrity Gogglebox and The Last Leg aimed at raising vital awareness and funds for life-saving research.<\/p>\n
A film crew spent time on Stevenston beach near Shona\u2019s North Ayrshire home earlier this year for the powerful film which captures her hope that no other family should have to go through the heartache she\u2019s endured. Stand Up To Cancer – the joint fundraising campaign from Cancer Research UK and Channel 4- funds projects and trials that take breakthroughs from the lab and accelerate them into new tests and treatments to help more people beat the disease.<\/p>\n
![\"Dad](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/0_Dad-Will-MacLaren-with-daughter-Thea-5-and-newborn-son-Will.jpg\")
Dad Will with daughter Thea and newborn son Mason<\/p>\n
Shona, 36, said: \u201cI\u2019m grateful for the opportunity to share a snapshot of my story.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat little girl doesn\u2019t want to grow up to have an amazing husband, kids and a happy family? I had all of that with my husband Will. He was my rock, a brilliant dad and he was my everything. We literally went from being that happy family with years ahead of us to having months left, then only hours and that was heartbreaking. It felt bitter sweet receiving a call from my oncologist to say my cancer was shrinking when my husband was dying. It felt unfair that only two weeks after Will took our daughter to school for the first time, we lost him. I can\u2019t explain why I survived cancer and Will didn\u2019t.<\/p>\n
![\"Shona](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/0_Shona-MacLaren-during-cancer-treatment-with-her-kids-Thea-five-and-Mason-one.jpg\")
Shona with her kids during cancer treatment<\/p>\n
\u201cI hope my husband is at peace now knowing I\u2019m still here for our children to give them the best possible life. It\u2019s been a tough journey to get to where I am but this film and the hope of helping others has given me a sense of closure. I am supporting Stand Up To Cancer as I want to raise awareness about screening and the importance of early diagnosis and to help fund research today to help future generations.\u201d<\/p>\n
With around 34,800 people diagnosed with cancer every year in Scotland, the need to make faster advances is clear. By 2040, it\u2019s projected that one person in the UK will be diagnosed with the disease every two minutes. In the 1970s, it was every four minutes.<\/p>\n
![\"Will](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/0_Left-to-right-Mason-Shona-Will-and-Thea-MacLaren.jpg\")
Will died in Ayrshire Hospice on September 1, 2022<\/p>\n
Since then Shona, who is in remission, has raised awareness about cervical screening and the HPV vaccination which today is offered to all children between the ages of 11 and 13 in the UK. Evidence shows the vaccination helps to prevent cancer by protecting against the human papilloma virus, that causes almost all cases of cervical cancer and some other cancers.<\/p>\n
Since 2012, Stand Up To Cancer has raised more than \u00a3113 million, funding 73 clinical trials and research projects involving more than 13,000 cancer patients. That equates to nearly a million hours\u2019 worth of pioneering research, bringing new hope.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s estimated around nine million people in the UK are not up to date on their cancer screenings. That\u2019s why, this year, the campaign has also launched a Cancer Screening Checker.<\/a> The new simple-to-use online tool will help the public find out which cancer screening programmes they\u2019re eligible for.<\/p>\n Screening can detect cancer at an early stage, when treatment is more likely to be successful, and sometimes prevent it \u2013 helping to save more lives.<\/p>\n Cancer Research UK spokeswoman for Scotland, Lisa Adams, said: \u201cThanks to the generosity of the public, our scientists are helping to transform the landscape of cancer therapy. From using AI to optimise radiotherapy treatment for rectal cancer to creating lollipops that could detect mouth cancer, we\u2019re at the cutting edge of research.<\/p>\n \u201cBut stories like Shona\u2019s highlight why we must go further and faster and we\u2019re so incredibly grateful to the MacLaren family for their support.<\/p>\n \u201cAlmost one in two of us will get cancer in our lifetime. All of us can help beat it. That\u2019s why we\u2019re asking everyone to Stand Up To Cancer with us by donating or fundraising. If thousands of us make a stand, we\u2019ll speed up the progress of vital research \u2013 meaning more people live longer, better lives, free from the fear of cancer.\u201d<\/p>\n Shona\u2019s story is available to stream now on Channel 4<\/a>. Shona\u2019s story will also air again on Channel 4 on Monday, December 15.<\/p>\n![\"Shona](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/0_Shona-MacLaren-in-Stand-Up-To-Cancer-t-shirt.jpg\")
Shona hopes that she’ll help more families after sharing her story with Stand Up to Cancer<\/p>\n