A Belfast woman has teamed up with a cancer charity to raise awareness of symptoms in memory of her late mother.
Mairead Laing is working with Pancreatic Cancer Action, a UK-based charity dedicated to improving survival rates through early diagnosis of pancreatic cancer, to raise awareness of the disease’s devastating nature. She decided to get on board in tribute to her mum Margaret, after what she describes as "four years of being palmed off by her GP".
In Summer 2016, the family were enjoying a trip when Margaret started to complain of a niggling pain in her side. She was seen by a GP the following week and was advised she may have kidney stones and referred her for tests, that confirmed that she did indeed have kidney stones and that they should clear on their own.
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"This was the start of almost four years of being palmed off by her GP; it was kidney stones and that it would get better, but it never did," Mairead said.
"Endless GP visits and blood tests yielded no answers, and time after time, she was told her blood tests were normal, and that it was nothing sinister. Fast forward to December 2019, and by this stage, my mum had lost so much weight she could barely eat and was in constant pain when an appointment came through for urology.
"I attended the appointment with her and was shocked when the consultant told us that my mum had one tiny kidney stone that had likely passed a long time ago. She also advised us that her GP should have been aware that her symptoms were much more worrying, we went home more confused and worried than ever.
“Shortly after Christmas, my mum was experiencing severe abdominal pain, so we took her to A&E where she had more blood tests and was advised she had diverticulitis and was sent home with antibiotics.
"I insisted that I attend her next GP appointment with her, and it was then that the GP actually said the words that haunt me to this day: “Don't worry, it's definitely not cancer.” I begged him to refer her for an emergency appointment."
Mairead said her mum received the appointment "fairly quickly" and that they saw a general surgeon. But she admitted that "by the look on his face" that he was concerned by Margaret's presenting symptoms - and he referred her for an urgent CT scan.
"Mum’s scan was on 16th March 2020, where they discovered two blood clots in her lungs," Mairead added.
"She was admitted and told two days later that she had pancreatic cancer and that it had spread to her liver. There was no hope, no treatment, and no cure. My mum battled hard, but her poor body was so weak and sadly, she passed away 11 weeks later."
A spokesperson for Pancreatic Cancer Action said: "Pancreatic cancer is the 5th most common cause of cancer death in the UK, with over 10,000 people diagnosed each year. Early diagnosis is crucial for improving survival rates, yet under 8% of those diagnosed will survive for five years or more.
"Mairead lost her mum far too early, and we strongly believe that she could have been saved if her pancreatic cancer had been detected sooner."
Pancreatic Cancer Action is dedicated to raising awareness of the disease and funding research into early detection and treatment. To find out more about their work, visit the website here.
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