Ben Williams, 37, was diagnosed with small cell lung cancer (SCLC) in January 2021 after experiencing months of severe pain above his hip. His wife, Anita Williams, 43, said doctors initially told them he was "too young for cancer." By the time he was diagnosed, the cancer was stage four and terminal, with a prognosis of 12 to 18 months. Ben underwent chemotherapy and immunotherapy, but his condition deteriorated, and he was admitted to a Sue Ryder hospice, where he died in July 2021 at age 38. Anita, from Winchcombe, Gloucestershire, realized she had few keepsakes capturing Ben's life after his death and is now creating memory boxes for other families facing terminal illness, while encouraging people to be more open about grief and death. She said the most important thing people should understand about grief is that, even if they are five years into it, they are not necessarily okay. She described how grief has changed her life completely, and she has had to navigate her children going to university, finishing university, taking exams, finishing exams, passing driving tests, and starting school on her own. Ben started experiencing a "nagging" pain on one side, above his hip, in the summer of 2020. He saw his GP, who completed urine and blood tests, but the doctors "couldn't find out what was causing it" and told him he was "too young for cancer." He was referred for physiotherapy, which did not improve his symptoms. Anita then enquired about an ultrasound scan through the private healthcare she had with her previous employer. The scan showed "something on his liver," but doctors did not think it was anything to worry about. Ben then had a CT scan, which flagged "something in (his) lung," and he was invited for another CT scan in January 2021. This follow-up scan revealed masses on his lung and liver, and after a biopsy, the couple were told Ben had SCLC, a cancer Anita had "never heard of." Anita said she was told the cancer was stage four because it had spread to his liver and adrenal glands. She was informed it was terminal, and she screamed, with Ben holding her and she wailing. Anita said she does not remember much after this, but having to tell the children was "absolutely horrific." She added, "I just thought, 'This can't be happening to us. You've got to do something. Surely, you've got to save him.'" Ben started chemotherapy soon after, which helped relieve the pain, and had immunotherapy. However, after this, Anita said he started to deteriorate in June. The couple planned to renew their vows in August, but Ben started to lose his ability to swallow, walk, urinate, and speak. With his pain "out of control," he was admitted to Sue Ryder Leckhampton Court Hospice, where he was diagnosed with leptomeningeal cancer, meaning his cancer cells had spread to the thin tissue layers covering the brain and spinal cord. This condition "shut down his central nervous system from the inside, bit by bit," and the last four weeks were described as "horrific." Anita decided to buy memory boxes to fill for her children, but she did not complete these until after his death, which made her realize there were memories she wished they had captured together. She said she hadn't thought about getting his fingerprints, handprints, voice, or handwriting, or all the memories he could remember that he wanted to write down or things he wanted to say. This inspired her to create A Box from Ben – a memory box designed to help families facing terminal illness preserve precious keepsakes for their loved ones. She has since donated boxes to Sue Ryder Leckhampton Court Hospice and is using her family’s experience to help other parents create lasting memories and support their children through grief. Anita said the boxes can include photos, letters, drawings, a jar of notes with memories written on them, objects which have meaning, a USB stick with videos or recordings, or hand and finger prints. She said it is a way to capture things that become really important once someone's died, that you don't think about until afterwards. Anita said she has had trauma therapy for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), caused by "watching (Ben) die so horribly at such a young age," and she said grief "takes a real physical toll on your body." She likened it to "wearing a 20-kilo backpack" every day – and while it will always be a part of who she is, she said she "gets stronger and stronger as time goes on." Anita joined a Facebook group called Widowed and Young after Ben’s death, which has given her great comfort, and she has "found some of (her) best friends for life on there." She said grief does get "easier" with time, and she would advise others experiencing loss to "take it hour by hour, day by day." Along with talking more openly about grief and death, Anita hopes her story encourages other people to seek medical advice if they have any unusual symptoms and to advocate for themselves. She added: "If you feel something's not right, please push to get yourself checked." Paul Madden, head of grief and bereavement quality and governance at Sue Ryder, said: "Grief is a deeply personal experience, and no two people will respond to it in the same way. Some may throw themselves into keeping busy, while others might find everyday tasks overwhelming, and neither reaction is right or wrong. There is no set timeline for grief, nor a 'correct' way to navigate it. It can come in waves, often when least expected."