West Suffolk's Isobel Ball, the One Arm Bandit, dies after rare osteosarcoma diagnosis six months ago
The daughter of the cancer awareness campaigner Isobel Ball said her family’s ‘hearts have been touched’ by tributes that have been paid to her mother.
More than £5,700, has already been raised for the Bone Cancer Research Trust in memory of Isobel,74, who was diagnosed with osteosarcoma, six months ago and died on Sunday.
After her arm was amputated in July, with the aim of stopping the rare cancer from spreading, Isobel became known on Twitter as the ‘One Arm Bandit’, spreading a message of positivity, despite her treatment.
Following the amputation of her arm, Isobel, who moved to West Suffolk two years ago, was given the news that the cancer had spread to her lungs.
As she adapted to living with one arm, even learning to write with her left hand, the mother of two started chemotherapy.
Halfway through her treatment Isobel developed pneumonia, which was complicated by clots in her lungs.
She died at West Suffolk Hospital in Bury St Edmunds in the arms of her husband, of more than 50 years, Keith and daughter Liz.
Describing her mother as ‘the most incredible woman’ Liz, a surgeon and a breast cancer patient, said she and her brother Nicholas will always remember growing up in a house full of fun.
Liz said: “Mum was always singing and she made the most incredible birthday cakes, she was always so bright and cheery and would light up a room when she walked in.”
Isobel grew up in Dundee before moving to the Midlands, where she worked as a nurse.
“Mum always put others before herself,” said Liz, who described how Isobel would volunteer her time to pick up patients and drive them to a day centre at a hospice near where she lived.
Liz added: “When I was diagnosed with breast cancer she was always so positive and told me I had to carry on, so it was very sad when we had to swap roles.”
Encouraging those that knew her mother as the One Arm Bandit to ‘be more Isobel’, Liz described how having her arm amputated gave the former nurse a new sense of purpose, as she tried to make people aware of the symptoms of the rare cancer she had.
Liz said: “Suddenly people were hanging on the every word of the One Arm Bandit.”
“Mum was fiercely independent, after she had her right arm amputated she learnt to put on her earrings and necklace with her left hand and bake scones - cancer didn’t stop her being her.
“We miss her terribly and she went too soon.”
As well as praising the care Isobel received at West Suffolk Hospital, Liz said her family, have been ‘humbled’ by the messages of support they have received over the last few days.
She said: “My family’s hearts have been touched by the kindness of strangers.
“We thank you all so much it has been incredible.”
Isobel was an ambassador for Sarcoma UK and Bone Cancer Research.
Keith, Liz and her husband Dermot, Nicholas and his wife Jihane and Isobel’s grandson Raphael, would welcome any more donations to the fund set up in her memory, which can be found on the Bone Cancer Research Trust website.
Isobel’s funeral will take place on Friday, January 6, at 11.30 at West Suffolk Crematorium, it will also be livestreamed.
Liz will be sharing further details of the funeral and fundraising page on her Twitter account: @liz_oriordan.
In the new year Liz will be releasing a new series of her Don’t Ignore the Elephand Podcast - the first episode will feature Isobel.
