81-Year-Old Terminally Ill Woman Graduates From University Despite Losing Husband and Daughter

An inspiring 81-year-old woman, Ann Gabb from Hereford, has finally celebrated her graduation after years of personal tragedy and health struggles. Ann earned a Bachelor’s degree in Arts and Humanities from the Open University, proving that it is never too late to chase a dream.

Her journey was far from easy. During her time in school, Ann was diagnosed with blood cancer, a condition that has left her terminally ill. As if that wasn’t enough, she also suffered the heartbreaking loss of her husband, Trevor Gabb, and her daughter, Wendy Jones, who passed away after a long illness.

Despite these devastating moments, Ann pushed through and completed her studies with determination and pride.

Speaking to the BBC, her son, Andrew Gabb, shared how proud he is of his mother and explained that she hopes her achievement will inspire others facing difficulties.

He said: “I’m extremely proud. My mum is humble, and she doesn’t like the attention, but I said to her, ‘There’s no way she’s going to escape this one.'”

Speakng on how proud he was seeing his mother collect her degree, Andrew Added: “”It was incredible; I’ve never seen anything like it. It was at Symphony Hall in Birmingham, and everybody was just so kind.

“There were over 2,000 people; the place was packed. As they announced mum’s name, the place just erupted.”

And describing her daughter, Ms Jones, the 81-year-old said: “She was amazing. She was ill for a very long time. We miss her.”

Mr Gabb added: “We lost my sister earlier this year after a long illness, and that has changed our lives forever.

“She had the most incredible sense of humour.”