Running 1k for the date for the whole of Jan!

1k - Jan 1st

2k - Jan 2nd

3k - Jan 3rd

Etc etc….

Read Ali and Rachael’s story below:

We believe that something good will come from this situation. Maybe this is the first step. We want to raise money for upcoming research to kick this cancer in the ****! And to help others with our story. 

Our lovely mummy Sue finally got a devastating diagnosis of metastatic pancreatic cancer on 20th September 2023. On diagnosis it had already spread to her liver and nearby organs. This, and the type of aggressive Adenocarcinoma meant that it was already stage IV and the prognosis was poor, even if she was able to tolerate a good stab at some chemotherapy. 

Here’s our story so far:

She started having some tummy ache, indigestion and fatigue around July 2023 so was told to take some indigestion tablets by the GP. The pain gradually got more persistent, and she wasn’t able to lie down flat at night. The list of foods she was able to tolerate eating became smaller and smaller. So she inevitably had lost a bit of weight and become less interested in food.

 Mummy was a Great North Run addict and was training for the half marathon that was held on 10th September this year. Towards the end of August she had trained up to 9 miles but realised she was really fatiguing on the way round and struggling to recover afterwards. She put it down to age and lack of training? 

On the drive up to Newcastle on 8th September a nurse rang to give tell her she was “officially a diabetic” after a blood test. If you know our mum, this wouldn’t be something you’d expect. Out of the blue! This, on top of her recent worsening symptoms definitely should have stuck out like a sore thumb, with her very minimal medical history.

Meanwhile she continued to struggle with abdominal pain especially after eating, she was more tired, and had bouts of sweats. She had started lying down a lot more, and one day I walked in and she was lying there in tears with pain and feeling generally unwell.

 After talking to some of our amazing friends who are medics, it gave me the shove to ring the GP practice myself and advocate for her. Up until this point they had screened for bowel cancer, iron levels and other cancers, so assured her that is wasn’t cancer. 

Monday 18th September I got her an appointment at her GP practice with a lovely GP who really listened to us (actually me, as I wanted to make sure I read out the list of symptoms in chronological order!). This was a GP she hadn’t seen before, just back from maternity leave. She brought the repeat blood tests forward to the next day (Tuesday) and started medicating our Mum’s diabetes. Wednesday morning she had chased the blood results and her sodium was low, liver function inadequate and had deteriorated since a blood test 2 weeks before. She said she thought my mum needed to be seen in hospital to expedite her CT scan and her advice was to take her to the emergency department.

Wednesday 20th September we took her to ED at The Royal Derby Hospital. Within 8 hours she had been seen by multiple professionals, had a CT scan and blood tests, ECG, and the results of the scan delivered by a registrar. A mass on the pancreas and multiple liver metastases.

In the coming weeks, she’d had a second scan to show multiple pulmonary emboli (clots on the lungs - apparently quite common with cancers) and a spread to her lung/ribs/sternum/shoulder blade, she’d gone from no tablets to around 25 a day, to 2 different self administered injections, checking blood sugars regularly. Phone calls with dieticians, specialist diabetic nurses, specialist liver pancreatic nurses, GP, palliative care nurse, hospital administrators. By this point we registered her at my GP practice down the road and has been brilliantly looked after. 

The long awaited biopsy, then results of the biopsy with the oncology appointment, then the first chemotherapy treatment took 7 weeks from diagnosis. 

Within 8 weeks she’s had a couple of weeks of hospital stays, a few other trips to the hospital. She’d gone from doing a full hours CrossFit class to having to hold your hand to walk to the toilet. 

On 1st December the lovely Oncologist regretfully told her that unfortunately medically it had become dangerous to continue with chemotherapy and the decision was made as a family to be at home as much as possible, all together, for her remaining weeks.

She very rapidly lost considerable weight, had considerable pain, been sick, constipated, incontinent, swollen. 

She kept her kind sense of humour throughout. And “what about you?” was her catch phrase of those months. 

 She continued to dig deep for the positives, finding ways to help others, and still struggled to put her own needs before others 🙄 even lying there in a hospital bed.

All we can think about is HOW people do this alone, or without this amazing little family team we have created around us? Rach, myself, Will, Rupert and all the friends and family who have stepped in to help or just been there if we’ve needed them. We’ve all had our roles. 

Also HOW people do this without any prior medical knowledge?

Also HOW people do this without the amazing support network of clinicians and medical team that we have had here in Derby? This is unfortunately not always the case for others, even in this country.

On Mummy Sue’s final hospital admission on 9th December she had started to get deep jaundice (something she really feared) and some acute confusion. Unfortunately blood tests showed her liver really was failing from the extent of the cancer, affecting the toxins running round her body. They told us she had only days left. Unlike the original plan, we were luckily transferred to the Nightingale MacMillan Unit at Royal Derby Hospital where she spent her final days. This unit was a magical place where we all felt so welcome and looked after. The staff exceptionally trained in respectful end of life compassionate care. Despite these days (and weeks) being very traumatic, Rachael and I both felt incredibly grateful to be there.

Our brilliant Mummy Sue MBE died at 7pm on the dot, on Wednesday 13th December whilst we both held her hands. This was exactly 12 weeks since her diagnosis.

There has been so much work done to screen for some cancers and detect them early - breast, cervix, prostate to name a few. There is currently NO screening tool for pancreatic cancer in the western world, and when it becomes symptomatic it is normally stage IV. This is why they call it “the silent killer”. 

Pancreatic Cancer UK is dedicated to taking on this injustice using every possible means. They're supporting people with pancreatic cancer now, campaigning, and funding vital research to transform the future.  Help them to make the breakthroughs that people with pancreatic cancer so desperately need.