'Loren's death left a huge hole in our hearts'
Jenna WakenshawFriends and family of a woman who died recently from cancer have pledged to continue to raise money in her name to carry on her legacy.
Loren Stokes, from Shrewsbury, endured having her larynx, thyroid, saliva glands and part of her oesophagus removed that left her having to speak through a voice prosthesis.
Her friends Jenna Wakenshaw and Jenny Hughes described her as a popular person with a "Barbara Windsor laugh" who was loved by a lot of people.
They said donations go to the Salivory Gland Cancer Charity, and the Christie Hospital in Manchester, with fundraising starting last year.
More than £3,500 has been raised in a separate appeal to pay for Ms Stokes' funeral and to support her 18-year-old son.
After a long struggle that began with her diagnosis in 2019, she died on 6 March and Ms Wakenshaw said it was as if "her body had just had enough of fighting all the time".
They said she had "left a huge hole in all our hearts."
Her friends said they first suspected something was wrong when Ms Stokes started sounding hoarse and when doctors investigated discovered a "huge tumour in her throat".
She had to learn to speak through a voice prosthesis attached to her throat and they said it appeared to "really hit her" at first.
But Ms Wakenshaw explained: "I think with a lot of people, it would have affected their mental health, but it just didn't with Loren.
"She had her up and down days, but I think most of her days were up days."
Even after her life-changing surgery, her friends said she "always looked so glam" and Ms Wakenshaw said: "She wasn't shy, she made so many friends.
"You wouldn't think from looking at her just how poorly she was."
Fundraising in her name has included Ms Wakenshaw taking on 40 charity runs.
Her friends, who call themselves the "super six", chose to support Salivory Gland Cancer UK because it specialises in cancers she suffered from and for Christie Hospital, where she spent a lot of time during her treatment.
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