Alison & Aidan
Aidan was 57 and otherwise fit and healthy when he was diagnosed with advanced pancreatic cancer. Although he had symptoms, it was months before he got a diagnosis. Aidan died less than three months later, with his wife Alison by his side.
My husband Aidan was a highly skilled computer programmer and keen cyclist, covering thousands of miles a year, including for charity rides. He was kind, generous, thoughtful and it’s hard to believe he isn’t here.
Aidan was fit and healthy, so his symptoms weren’t taken seriously
He was always very fit, never smoked, ate healthily and his initial symptoms were dismissed as muscular pains from his cycling, months before his diagnosis. He had even gone to A&E twice and his symptoms were dismissed, three months and again two weeks before he was eventually diagnosed.
Just two weeks after returning from holiday in Croatia in September 2024 he was in agony. Again, on visiting the hospital, they initially told him he was fine.
We hoped he could have treatment
He finally got a CT scan of his abdomen on October 11th. On the 14th we were told that there was a mass at the tail of his pancreas that was likely cancer. They also found swellings in adjacent lymph nodes. At this point we didn’t know much about pancreatic cancer and were prepared for treatment. Aidan had lost weight (he was already pretty skinny from his cycling) but was still at this point mainly eating ok.
His health deteriorated rapidly after diagnosis
The appointment with the specialist was about three weeks away. After receiving the news, Aidan’s health took a dramatic turn for the worse and he was in agony. The specialist said he was too frail for a biopsy, so he could not have any treatment, but he was to try and put some weight on over the next couple of weeks. Despite eating high calorie foods, his weight continued to fall and his appetite started to fall too. Before the two weeks were up, he was back in hospital in an attempt to get things under control due to his extreme pain and night sweats.
For the first week, it seemed that he may well get home and indeed finally get a biopsy. However, his appetite dropped considerably and his pain started ramping up, especially after eating. After a week and a half, he was moved into the palliative care unit and spent the next month there. I was with him constantly from when he received his diagnosis, and once he was in the palliative care unit I stayed overnight in his room.
He continued to go downhill. He never got any treatment at all, never got a biopsy or a referral to an oncologist. Even a stent was cancelled at the last minute.
He came home a week before Christmas to spend as long as possible at home before going into a hospice. He was never well enough after his diagnosis to enjoy any quality time outside home or the hospital. I had hoped to take him out in the car to see his old cycling haunts, but it never happened. On the morning of 30th December, he became really short of breath and then just stopped breathing. It was so quick.
Opportunities were missed to spot the cancer
Early on I contacted the Pancreatic Cancer UK Support Line, and we had a lot of support from Rachel, one of the specialist nurses. She gave us guidance and knowledge we weren’t offered by the hospital. We both felt very let down by the delays and missed opportunities for an earlier diagnosis. We eventually found out that, months earlier, a scan had been missed as Aidan never received the letter inviting him to book in, and no one had followed up when he didn’t book an appointment. Aidan wasn’t thought to be at risk of anything serious, as he was so fit. This makes his death even harder to come to terms with, as you can’t help thinking ‘what if?’
We need more awareness of pancreatic cancer
Aidan was my rock. I am utterly heartbroken and can’t believe what’s happened in such a short period of time. He was always there for me. I’m determined to raise awareness of this disease and be involved to help others avoid going through what I have.
Alison
February 2025
