A shopkeeper given months to live after being diagnosed with terminal lung cancer said “unbelievable” support from her community had allowed her to tick off almost all the items on her bucket list.
Claire Bailey, who runs the Sun newsagents in Shepshed, Leicestershire, was told in April she had six to nine months to live.
A fundraising appeal – launched to help Claire make memories with her husband, Rob Lord – raised £3,000 and has since reached nearly £6,000.
Since then, Bailey has enjoyed train journeys, hotel stays and visits to places she had always wanted to see.
Of receiving her diagnosis, Claire said: “For a split second it was like ‘wow’.
“But after that I thought there’s no point being depressed about it. It’s not going to make me better.
“Just carry on as normal. It is what it is.”
Claire, who has worked in the shop for almost three decades, said she was overwhelmed by the response from customers.
“I thought I’d get about £50 or £60,” she said. “Within a week, I’d got about £2,500 and it was unbelievable.”
