💜Let’s talk Pancreatic Cancer 💜
You know why? Because it’s affected my life in the worst ways possible. Which affects my writing and just living in general.
My mum was diagnosed 3 years ago with pancreatic cancer. We had hardly heard of it. Breast cancer yes. Ovarian cancer. Prostate etc. Widely known and talked about.
💜But pancreatic cancer has THE lowest survival rate out of all cancers. 7% of surviving 5 years after diagnosis. And only 11.5% of surviving even a year!
💜You know what else? It’s also the LEAST funded for research.
Mum was operated on and given chemo. But they admitted it had already spread through lymph nodes so we would lose her faster than we thought.
I had just had my daughter a year before she died. A year, and through most of that time my mum was just too ill to spend time with her or too medicated to even know she was there.
I struggled as a first time mum, I had always thought I could depend on my mum to help guide me. Tell me what’s wrong or how to do this. I fell into such a deep pit and even though I had support around me I just couldn’t cope with that. Because I wanted her. I wanted MY mum.
But she was taken from me. From her family.
Even more heartbreaking to watch my grandad cry over her as she passed. His own daughter.
I had done a bit of research on pancreatic cancer. Any information never looked positive. But after a while I concentrated on getting my life back together and I was. Even though the trying times of the pandemic. I started to enjoy life again. Appreciate every minute with everyone I loved.
Today changed. A call from my auntie soon tore my healed wound open. My grandad had a heart attack 10 years ago, we thought we was going to lose him. But he pulled through and fought his way up to today. He’s 84. Fought in the war and traveled the world, lived his life and suffered too. But such a strong willed man, diagnosed with dementia was fighting his way through.
Today he was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer.
How much pain can one family take?
Can anything be done to help? Give him more time? No he’s too old and fragile. We don’t know how long he has. And here I am stuck in lockdown. I can’t even see my lovely grandad.
Pancreatic cancer is the 11th biggest killer. Yet hardly anyone knows that. Symptoms don’t appear until it’s usually too late. Yellow complexion, back pain, pain in stomach to the right and constipation. That’s it. That’s the symptoms. How many people would think nothing of these because of how common they are?
I can’t help but feel frustrated. Mainly because I’m helpless to do anything about it. And because I feel like I was relieved to think that he was safe from cancer. How cruel is fate?
Cancer has taken both of my Nans, breast and ovarian. My other grandad; lung cancer.
My mum and now my other grandad; pancreatic cancer.
My family are leaving me one by one. And my heart cannot take much more.
Awareness of cancers needs to be improved and important. To everyone. Symptoms and types should be taught to everyone. At school, college, university or workplaces. Get checked and tested regularly, even if you think it’s something small.
💜Please share awareness of this. Spread the importance of knowing symptoms and types of cancer. Because losing someone is the hardest pain you’ll ever have to endure.💜
