Hundreds of tributes have been paid to a mum who died after receiving a devastating diagnosis. Pauline Cox, 51, from Old Swan, was a well-known figure in Liverpool’s charity sector.
Pauline most recently worked as a fundraiser for homeless charity Shelter. She also had spells at Wirral Ark, another homelessness service, and the Woodlands Hospice Charitable Trust in Fazakerley. Speaking to the ECHO last year, Pauline said she had a busy lifestyle with her partner Peter and children James, Kayleigh, and Ellie before the covid pandemic.
Tiredness after pandemic
But she felt her energy never returned after covid restrictions were lifted in 2021. Pauline said: “It was quite manic before covid and I’ve always lived like that. Everything stopped in the pandemic.
“When everything opened back up, I just didn't have the energy. I was just tired all the time. I’d wake up feeling exhausted and couldn't wait to go back to bed.
“I'm a woman of a certain age, so it was a lot of, ‘you’ve put on a bit of weight in the pandemic’, or, ‘you're not young anymore’, or ‘it could be menopause’, so it was just brushed aside.”
Diagnosis and treatment
However, on November 28 2023, Pauline was told she had a tumour on her kidney which needed to be removed. She had surgery on February 7 2025. Scan results later showed she had clear cell renal cell carcinoma, a common type of kidney cancer. Then, on July 1 2025, the mum was given the devastating news that her cancer was incurable.
According to the National Cancer Institute, feeling tired is one of several symptoms of this type of illness, although some people living with it do not experience any symptoms at all.
Pauline said: “I had three months of immunotherapy. It was supposed to be two years but you get scanned every three months. After the first scan they said, ‘sorry, it's bad news, the immunotherapy hasn't worked, it just doesn't work for some people, we don't know why, and if one immunotherapy doesn't work for you, it means none of them will’.
“They said it wasn’t curable. I just burst out crying.”
Bucket list and tributes
Pauline was keen to carry out a bucket list and was encouraged to set up a fundraiser to help her do so. She bought a van and was planning holidays to Boston and Canada.
Yesterday evening (Saturday, August 29), a post on Pauline’s X account from her family announced that she had died. The post said: “It is with deep sorrow that, on behalf of Pauline’s family, she has sadly passed away.
“She was extremely strong and we are so proud of her for fighting as hard as she did. Everyone truly loved Pauline, she meant the world to us and to many others. With much love, Pauline’s family.”
The news was met with over 300 responses, with many sharing their memories of Pauline. Laura Worthington, who runs Laura’s Little Bakery in Liverpool, said: “We’ve lost an incredible woman.
“Hilarious (she’d insist that came first), a self proclaimed good egg, selfless, kind, beautiful, smart, creative, generous, hardworking and the most amazing mum.
“I’m devastated, she’s gone way too soon. You’ll be so missed, Coxy. Love you.”
Jay McKenna, chair of the Liverpool FC Supporters Board, said: “So sorry to hear this. A wonderful person who did so much for others.”
Ellen Kerr, a businesswoman and Merseyside Women of the Year founder, said: “Very sad to read this. Pauline was always thinking of others and such a beautiful soul.”
Michelle Langan, who runs Liverpool homeless charity Paper Cup Project, said on her Instagram page: “There was and will always only be one Pauline. A Scouse queen. RIP my love.”
The GoFundMe page for Pauline can be found here.
