Hannah Edwards Star of Hope Fund

We are South Manchester's friendly local silent disco, and after almost a year of various lockdown restrictions, we're going online to mark one year since our last adventure on the dancefloor - and we're doing it for a brilliant cause - in memory of a brilliant person. 

Hannah Edwards was a dear friend to Silence of the Jams, and could be found on the dance floor from the very beginning. She was there on our first night, and many since - supporting us and even getting us our first SOTJ merch! Away from the dancefloor, she was one of the most generous, funny, strong and caring people we knew. 

Hannah died on Tuesday 25th August 2020 of bowel cancer. She was 37 years old. She was diagnosed just three weeks before she died,  just three weeks.

Hannah had little to no symptoms, she was an active, seemingly healthy, gorgeous woman who was singing and dancing just days before her diagnosis. She suffered with bouts of abdominal bloating for a long time, but it was put down to flare ups from a gluten intolerance that doctors had diagnosed years previous. She moved to Spain in June to follow her dreams and be with the love of her life, but three weeks after arriving she started to suffer from sickness and constipation. By this point the cancer had spread to her liver and lungs and was already stage 4. She had an operation to remove the tumour that was obstructing her bowel and the hope was she would receive chemotherapy soon after. She never recovered from the operation and died just 11 days later. 

Bowel cancer is the second biggest cancer killer and every year over 2,500 younger people are diagnosed with bowel cancer in the UK. Bowel Cancer UK are working to spread awareness of bowel cancer in people under 50 with their ‘Never Too Young’ campaign, tackling the challenges faced by younger people with the disease. Bowel cancer is very treatable, even curable with early diagnosis but too often it is being diagnosed too late.

Bowel Cancer UK are the country's leading bowel cancer charity. We fund targeted research, provide expert information and support to patients and their families, educate the public and professionals about the disease and campaign for early diagnosis and access to best treatment and care. We’re here to stop people dying of bowel cancer.