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Ben Williams was 37 when he was diagnosed with stage-four small-cell lung cancer. His wife, Anita, later recalled being told during an earlier consultation that he was “too young for cancer.” By January 2021, after scans and a biopsy, the couple were told his cancer was terminal. Ben died in July 2021, aged 38.
What happened to Ben Williams?
In a September 2026 report for The Independent, Eleanor Fleming recounted the family’s story through Anita’s memories. The account describes Ben, a father of three from Gloucestershire, as fit and healthy before he developed persistent pain on one side, above his hip, in summer 2020.
Anita said Ben went to his GP and had blood and urine tests, but doctors could not identify the cause. She recalled that he was told, “You’re too young for cancer,” and referred for physiotherapy. The pain did not improve. This is Anita’s recollection of the consultations; the report does not cite Ben’s medical records or an independent review of what was said.
How was the cancer diagnosed?
Anita said she arranged further investigations through private healthcare available from a previous employer. An ultrasound showed something on Ben’s liver, which she said was not considered worrying at the time. A CT scan then flagged something in his lung. A follow-up scan in January 2021 showed masses on his lung and liver, and a biopsy led to a diagnosis of small-cell lung cancer.
Anita recalled asking what stage the cancer was and being told it was stage four because it had also been found in his liver and adrenal glands. She remembered the doctor saying, “I’m really sorry, but it’s terminal. There’s nothing we can do to treat this,” after which she screamed as Ben held her.
The Independent reported that Anita said the family was given a prognosis of 12 to 18 months. That was the estimate she recalled being given at the time, not a general survival statistic. The family’s account does not establish that Ben’s age caused a delay in diagnosis, that a clinician acted improperly, or that a different course of care would have changed what happened.
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What treatment and care did Ben receive?
Anita said Ben received chemotherapy, which helped relieve his pain, as well as immunotherapy. His condition deteriorated in June 2021. Later, he lost the ability to swallow, walk, urinate and speak, and was admitted to Sue Ryder Leckhampton Court Hospice.
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How has Anita described life after Ben’s death?
Anita and Ben had three children: Kieran, Ella and Emilie. The Independent reported that they were 22, 19 and seven, respectively, in September 2026. Anita described the pain of telling the children their father’s diagnosis and the continuing challenge of raising them through school, exams, university and other milestones while grieving.
Anita received trauma therapy for PTSD connected with witnessing Ben’s death. She said grief remained a struggle five years later, even as it could become easier to carry. “I think the most important thing that people should understand about grief is that, yes, I might be five years in, but that doesn’t mean I’m OK,” she said.
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Paul Madden, Sue Ryder’s head of grief and bereavement quality and governance, told The Independent: “There is no set timeline for grief, nor a ‘correct’ way to navigate it. It can come in waves, often when least expected.” Anita said she found comfort in the Widowed and Young peer group and advised people supporting someone who is grieving: “And finally, I think I’d say to anyone who’s dealing with someone who’s grieving, be kind.”
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Why did Anita create A Box from Ben?
After Ben died, Anita wished the family had preserved more of his everyday traces: fingerprints or handprints, his voice, handwriting and things he wanted to say. She created A Box from Ben, a memory-box project intended to help families facing terminal illness keep meaningful mementos.
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Examples described in The Independent include photographs, letters, drawings, jars of written memories, meaningful objects, USB recordings, and hand or fingerprints. A keepsake memory box can give a family a place to gather such items, but Anita’s account is personal rather than a claim that one approach suits every family.
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