A dad-of-two died four months after being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and his grief-stricken daughter has paid tribute to her 'superman' as she prepares to run a marathon in his memory.
Stephen McAuley, 56, from Paisley, felt unwell and was getting body aches before he was diagnosed with cancer in September 2020.
The plumber took time off work due to feeling physically sick and soon saw his doctor who, after running tests, confirmed that he had pancreatic cancer and it was at an advanced stage.
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He underwent chemotherapy and was due to go for an operation but contracted sepsis and was later deemed unfit for surgery.
Stephen died at his home, with his loved ones by his side, on January 21, in 2021.
His daughter Kirsty, aged 24, told Glasgow Live: "We were really scared. You view your dad as a superman and then we see the progression of how unwell he got.
"His skin started to go that jaundiced way where he looked yellow. He was barely eating and fading away.
"Deep down you think maybe he'll be fine and the chemo will work. He had no energy left and it sucked the life out of him which was the hardest bit.
"It was so sudden and we were in lockdown so in the house constantly. It felt quite overwhelming sometimes."
Recalling the devastating day her dad passed, Kirsty added: "He was lying in bed and could barely speak. He was coming in and out of sleep.
"We were all taking turns to go up and sit beside him. You could see the cancer was taking over him.
"It was an awful time for us, it was the shock of only having one parent now. It felt like something was missing when everything of my dad was still there.
"It took a long time getting used to the fact that he wasn’t going to be there."
Some of Kirsty's happiest memories of her dad were when he used to take her and older brother Mark, 26, to play snooker when they were younger.
Stephen was a St Mirren FC fan and would sometimes take Kirsty with him to watch them play.
She added: "He was really caring and loving. He was very witty and funny and a good friend to have.
"I miss having a dad and going to him for things like life advice or car troubles. I’d sit on the coach for hours and chat away about pointless things with him.
"The thought of knowing he won’t be there for big life events is a hard thing to grasp."
Kirsty is running the Manchester marathon in April to raise money for Pancreatic Cancer Action in memory of her late dad.
For more information and to support the fundraising appeal, click here.
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