A widow from Bedfordshire has described how her husband died just eight months after being diagnosed with terminal cancer, despite showing no warning signs. Jemma Hough, 42, from Sharnbrook, said her husband Jon initially dismissed stomach pain and weight gain in March 2024 as middle age or food intolerances.
Tests in July 2024 revealed stage 4 terminal cancer of unknown primary, believed to be centred around the stomach. Doctors gave him only weeks to live. Although chemotherapy initially worked like 'magic juice', it soon caused severe fatigue, nausea and sickness. By February 2025, doctors said the treatment was no longer effective.
Jon was moved to a hospice for his final weeks and died on March 24, 2025, aged 47. Jemma donated his body to Nottingham University Hospital for medical research and training. Reflecting on her grief, she said: 'It’s almost surreal... we don’t know how long we’ve got. My husband was only 47, we didn’t expect it and we didn’t have any signs.'
The couple met when Jemma was 16 and later started a relationship. They married in September 2008 and had three children together. Jemma urged others to embrace life, saying: 'Life is for living and we’ve got to take all those opportunities.'
