HE was beside her every day from her diagnosis throughout her cancer journey.

But just one month after Gaynor Williams-Hamilton finished treatment, her husband Muir Hamilton died suddenly from the disease.

Muir was Gaynor’s rock throughout her breast cancer experience but was diagnosed with throat cancer that could not be treated.

Gaynor, 54, said: “I had fallen in love with Muir instantly and we were married within eight months of meeting.

“Right from the beginning we were a unit and didn’t do much without each other. We met when we were both working out in New Zealand and shared so many adventures together.

“We were married for almost 18 years and I couldn’t ever have imagined life without him.

“There were so many things we still wanted to do as a couple, so many more adventures we wanted to share together.

“We thought we had the luxury of the rest of our lives to enjoy then but had no idea how little time we actually had left.”

Gaynor, who lives in Lochwinnoch, first visited the GP after finding a lump in her right breast in the early summer of 2015.

She was referred to the Royal Alexandra hospital in Paisley for more tests and her husband Muir who worked for Business Gateway was with her on June 11 when doctors confirmed that Gaynor had breast cancer.

Gaynor, a nurse at the trauma and orthopaedic department at the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital, said: “It was a roasting hot day the afternoon we got the results to say I had cancer.

“Muir and I called in at the supermarket on the way home and bought some nice things for a picnic.

“We sat in the garden at home enjoying the picnic and Muir calmly said to me, ‘Right this is happening and we’re going to deal with it in the very best way that we can, together.’

“He said it was too much to think of in one go and suggested we break it down into one step at a time.

“I love running and I actually ran 9km the day before I started my first chemotherapy treatment.

“I didn’t actually feel unwell and I remember thinking, ‘Do I really want to go through with this?’ but I knew I had to.

“Running wasn’t me putting on a brave face. Running had nothing to do with being brave. Running helped me face up to it all.”

Gaynor lost her hair and dropped weight during six sessions of chemotherapy but by mid October 2015 the chemotherapy had finished.

Gaynor and Muir went to Bruges in Belgium for a romantic weekend away ahead of Gaynor having surgery in November to remove the lump.

It was a huge relief when follow up tests showed the cancer had gone.

In January 2016, Gaynor started 20 sessions of radiotherapy at the Beatson.

In March, the couple set off on a sunshine holiday in Tenerife before Gaynor returned to work and took part in her first Race for Life that spring.

Gaynor then had injections of the breast cancer drug Herceptin every three weeks.

The final Herceptin injection on September 20 marked the end of Gaynor’s treatment.

To mark the milestone the couple booked a holiday in Cuba.

But on October 19, 2016, the day before they were due to jet out to Cuba, Muir was diagnosed with throat cancer.

He’d been referred for urgent hospital tests after visiting his doctor with symptoms including weight loss, difficulty in swallowing and a sore throat.

Gaynor said: “I went in to action mode. When I was fighting cancer my husband was by my side every step of the way.

“His love and support helped me through one of the darkest times in my life.

“I raised more than £2000 running Race for Life for the first time after finishing treatment for cancer and Muir was right there at the finish line proudly cheering me on.

“I was determined to be there for him just like he’d been there for me. I was with him at all his appointments just like he had been for me the year before.

“I had a medical check up around this time and I remember saying to the doctor that I didn’t have time for it.

“She tried to advise me that I had to look after myself but I remember saying, ‘I don’t have time to. My husband has throat cancer. I’m done and dusted now. We’re on to him.’

Muir was offered radiotherapy to help shrink the tumour size. There were also hopes of surgery but the cancer was too advanced.

Gaynore said: “Muir was very straight with the doctors after he was told they couldn’t operate.

“He asked: “How long have I got then?” They said, ‘It’s not weeks but it won’t be years, somewhere in between’.

“It actually turned out to be less than a week so there wasn’t enough time to say goodbye.”

Gaynor was by Muir’s side when he died on December 20, 2016.

Her sister, Julie Rees, 57, had travelled up to Scotland from her home in Wales to support Gaynor.

There was also the devastating job of breaking the news to Muir’s grown up daughters in New Zealand, Julia and Anna, that their dad had died.

But Gaynor will never forget the kindness and professionalism of the medical staff.

She said: “I was there for Muir night and day over his six final days and the staff went out of their way to make sure I was comfortable.

“They helped with simple things. They’d make sure I had a toothbrush or a fresh towel and check that I had something to eat.

“The breast care nurse who looked after me when I was unwell was amazing too.

“We’re still in touch and I’m also in touch with Muir’s specialist nurse.”

And Gaynor has words of wisdom for anyone going through a bereavement today.

She said: “Counselling has helped and so has support from close friends at home and work as well as my family.

“Running helped me and going back to work with a bit of routine was useful too. But there are days when I feel lonely.”

Muir was a keen cyclist and his favourite place was Mount Ventoux in Provence, France, a famous scene of the Tour de France.

Gaynor said: “We’d visited there in the summer of 2016 before Muir got ill. Our first rescue Greyhound dog Harry had died a few months earlier so we scattered some of the dog’s ashes there.

“I remember Muir turned to me and said: ‘By the way Gaynor if anything ever happens to me, this is where I’m going to come alright?’ He didn’t need to say anything else.

“I’m not ready yet but I know I will go back to Mount Ventoux one day.

“It will be a stunning place to stand and remember a man I loved so much.”

Gaynor has now been chosen to lead the charge at Scotland’s biggest Race for Life, sounding the airhorn to send thousands of runners on the 5K and 10K courses in Glasgow on Sunday, May 20.

Last year the charity was able to spend more than £34 million last year in Scotland on some of the UK’s leading scientific and clinical research - helping more men, women and children survive the disease.

To enter Race for Life today visit raceforlife.org or call 0300 123 0770.