A grieving fiancée has raised thousands for a cancer charity in memory of her lost love.
Karen White from Forfar has so far raised raised more than £2,000 in total in aid of Pancreatic Cancer UK, after her fiancée, Suzanne Bell, died last summer.
Karen has set up a crowdfunder for the charity, climbed Ben Nevis and organised a raffle.
Dundee United player Ryan Edwards signed a club shirt for the raffle which raised £300.
Karen was heartbroken when her beloved fiancée died on July 29 last year at the age of 49 – just eight weeks after she was diagnosed.
Due to Covid-19 restrictions, Karen was unable to be with Suzanne, who was living in County Antrim, Northern Ireland, when she died.
Karen, 50, said: “It’s still such a shock that I won’t see my girl again, she was only 49.
“She was the kindest, funniest, most sincere person I’d ever met, she made me laugh like no one else ever could.
“I miss the laughs we had together, the special memories we made, I will cherish [them] forever.”
Future cut short
Suzanne died just over a year after the couple got engaged on a cruise on Loch Lomond.
By fundraising for Pancreatic Cancer UK, Karen hopes it will save other people from having their future cut short.
“The pain I went through, I don’t want anyone else going through that,” Karen said.
“It [fundraising] is something deeply important to keep doing.”
Suzanne loved music and was “an absolutely beautiful singer”, Karen said.
She was fan of Scottish band Runrig after Karen introduced her to their music and the couple attended the band’s famous ‘The Last Dance’ show at Stirling Castle together in 2018.
Karen’s fundraising began in October when she raised £500 in sponsors by climbing Ben Nevis.
She was then delighted to be supported by Dundee United player Ryan Edwards who signed a club shirt for her raffle, which raised £300.
The raffle overall raised £1,200.
Ryan’s involvement was especially poignant for Karen, as he himself is a cancer survivor.
Ryan was diagnosed with testicular cancer in 2018, and was given the all-clear later that year.
A spokesperson for Pancreatic Cancer UK praised Karen’s fundraising efforts.
They said: “We are unbelievably grateful that Karen is supporting us by raising funds for Pancreatic Cancer UK in her fiancée’s memory.
“The money Karen has raised by conquering Ben Nevis and enlisting the generous support of her local community will help fund our vital research.”
