Lynda Bellingham's son believes her life could have been saved had she been given a simple test for cancer.
Michael Peluso told the Mirror that if his mother had been given a colonoscopy, it might had led to the early discovery of the disease, a key factor in successful treatment. "She was a massive champion for getting a colonoscopy. It would have saved her life," he said. "They missed it so much."
Lynda Bellingham's son Michael Peluso has said her life might have been saved
"She had two stool tests, a blood test and they never found it. She was carrying cancer for 18 months before she discovered she had it." Before her death, Lynda had urged others to save up for the potentially life-saving test, saying "Put a £1 away for a colonoscopy when you are 60. It's the only way you can know for sure." The actress passed away in October after an inspirational and courageous battle against cancer, and her death united friends, fans and fellow celebrities in grief. Michael said he was touched by the amount of public support the family received after her passing.
Michael Peluso (right) carrying Lynda's coffin with her husband Michael Pattemore
"A lot of people have said how sorry they are for us and it must be so hard," he said. "I feel so lucky because there are thousands of people going through the same thing right now but they don't have that support." He added, "One of the nurses at the funeral mentioned how people in the hospital when it first broke about mum, the strength that people get from reading about it because they don't feel alone." Michael was recently asked how he will remember his mum during an interview with Anglia News. "Sunday lunch, affection, love, responsibility, positivity," he replied. "She was so strong. You just wouldn't have known what she was going through. I stopped reading her autobiography before the funeral because I found it too difficult. Even in the book, when you find out what was going on behind the façade, you have no idea of how ill she was."