Newlywed pays tribute to ‘caring and compassionate’ paramedic wife Meadhbh Cameron, 24, who died after tying the knot

A PARAMEDIC died from a form of lung cancer most common in smokers – despite never taking up the habit.

Meadhbh Cameron passed away on March 11 after being told two days before Christmas that she had just weeks to live.

SWNSParamedic Meadhbh Cameron, 24, died on March 11[/caption]

SWNSShe had a rare form of lung cancer common in smokers – but had never taken up the habit[/caption]

The 24-year-old first noticed something was wrong in September when she coughed up a blood clot while in hospital as part of her job.

She had an intermittent night-time cough but no other symptoms, however a scan revealed a shadow on her lung.

Four weeks later, Meadhbh was told she had stage 4 combined small cell lung cancer – an extremely aggressive and rare form of cancer, not typically seen in a young, non-smoker in good health.

Meadhbh, who worked in Clydebank, West Dunbartonshire, was given chemotherapy but the cancer had spread to bones and lymph nodes.

Shortly before her death, she married police officer Lee Cameron in an emotional ceremony carried out by a colleague.

Lee, who lives in Glasgow, is running the Loch Ness Marathon in October – as it was top of his wife’s bucket list.

Lee said: “She told me she had coughed up a blood clot while in hospital with a patient and that an x-ray had revealed a shadow in her left lung.

“This was totally out of the blue as she had no other symptoms, other than an intermittent cough at night.

“The specialists advised us that Meadhbh’s type of cancer was incurable, however it tended to respond well to chemo.

“They informed us that with chemo Meadhbh would likely have a year to live, if not more due to her age and health.”

Meadhbh received three rounds of chemo but was hospitalised each time with neutropenia – a condition which results in a low number of white blood cells, neutrophils, in blood.

Lee said: “On the third time she was hospitalised, we were informed that Meadhbh’s treatment wasn’t working and that the cancer in her spine was compressing her spinal cord.

“On December 23, we were told that she had six to eight weeks to live.”

Meadhbh passed away the day after Lee’s 27th birthday.

He added: “Despite the high levels of sedation she was under, Meadhbh still managed to wake up and hum ‘Happy Birthday’ to me.

“This was a true testament to Meadhbh’s strength and character.

“In the end, cancer robbed Meadhbh of everything but her compassion, humour and mental strength.

“She was an incredibly caring and compassionate soul who had an outstanding passion for life.

“Her smile could brighten even the darkest of days and she was the life and soul of the party.

“Those traits are what made her an exceptional paramedic, a job that she absolutely loved.

“It gives me great honour in being able to call her my wife.”

Lee is fundraising for Beatson Cancer Charity, which supported the couple.

He added: “The support they provided to my wife and I was second to none, especially with Meadhbh’s prognosis, which unfortunately involved spending her last Christmas in hospital.

“The Teenage and Young Adult team arranged for Meadhbh to get a private room so I could stay with her and also provided festive food along with a host of other things, including psychological support.

“They even helped Meadhbh and I bring forward our wedding so we could still have our big day, which is something I am incredibly grateful for.

“Before passing, she had a bucket list of things she wanted to do and at the top was run a marathon.”

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