'Devoted' dad -of-two, 42, dies at home after complaining of pains in his head

14 November 2023 , 14:40

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Shaun died aged only 42 (Image: Family handout)

A dad-of-two tragically died after complaining of a headache.

Shaun Loughran, 42, had spent the last three years of his life battling bowel cancer after a diagnosis in January 2020. But the 42-year-old from Runcorn died on October 17 at his Prestatyn home - after news emerged that his cancer had spread.

After multiple rounds of treatment at Clatterbridge Cancer Centre, Liverpool and Glan Clwyd Hospital, Wales. But on the first day of his honeymoon in September last year, Shaun was delivered devastating news; the cancer had spread to his liver and abdomen. Just the following month, he was diagnosed with a brain tumour - which was removed at the Walton Centre.

Siobhan, 35, Shaun’s sister, said despite the bad news Shaun was responding well to treatment shortly before he passed. "After he'd been given that positive news he'd been getting pains in his head. On October 17 he had one of those pains in his head,” she said.

Paramedics and an air ambulance were called to Shaun's home but despite their best efforts, he was pronounced dead. He leaves behind his wife Jenni, 38, and children Grace, nine, and Oliver, six.

Baby boy has spent his life in hospital as doctors are 'scared' to discharge him

Shaun has two children, Grace, nine, and Oliver, five (Family handout)

Everton FC fan Shaun leaves behind a loving family (Family handout)

A Gofundme page has been set up by Shaun's friends to support his family at this devastating time. Paying tribute, Siobhan described Shaun as an "amazing person" who was "courageous and charismatic", according to the Liverpool Echo.

She said: "He was such a devoted dad. In the past four years, since Oliver was two, he's been living with cancer. From the point of diagnosis it was through lockdown, covid, and I think he was very grateful for the quality time he got to spend with his children through that time.

"Like Jenny (his wife) said, the children never knew Shaun was living with cancer - it was never spoken about. Even on his worst days he would always make sure he was sat downstairs ready for them to come home from school and to talk about their day.

"Through the period of time he's had cancer and many dark moments, there's always been a light at the end of the tunnel in terms of positive news. It was never diagnosed as terminal.

"The amount of people that have messaged or Facebooked me and said even though Shaun was having a rough time, he was always making sure he was thinking of others and tried to keep them positive."

Shaun raised over £4,000 for Cancer Research doing The Bobby Moore Fund's keepy-uppy challenge (Family handout)

Shaun raised more than £4,000 for Cancer Research by taking part in The Bobby Moore Fund's keepy-uppy challenge last year. The 42-year-old married Jenni in Turkey last August, on the beach where Shaun had proposed years earlier. The couple had been together for more than 20 years.

More than 400 people packed out the Marble Church in Bodelwyddan, Wales, for the Everton fan's funeral on Friday, November 3. Siobhan said: "The amount of people that came out to pay their respects to him was massively overwhelming.

"He was very much a down to earth, family oriented man. He always had a massive smile on his face and a great sense of humour. He was always up for a joke. He loved a good debate and was never scared to speak his mind. He always stood up for what he believed was right." To visit the Gofundme page click here.

Charlotte Hadfield