Ellen & Ewan
Ewan was diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic cancer in June 2024. He became a fierce advocate for more education about pancreatic cancer and took every opportunity to raise awareness. His daughter, Ellen, reflects on their family’s loss and talks about how her Dad has inspired her to take on a marathon challenge.
My dad, Ewan, was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, with secondary cancer in his liver, in June 2024. It absolutely devastated our family seeing him go from his ever-determined, fit and healthy self who ran weekly and played bagpipes with his band, to the shell of himself with very little energy, struggling with daily life in such a short period of time.
He became a fierce advocate for more education about pancreatic cancer
He fiercely advocated for more education on pancreatic cancer in Northern Ireland and encouraged greater awareness for the disease where he could. He also supported my sister and I in continuing with life as normally as possible, with her plans to complete her GCSEs and later A Levels, and me with my plans of moving to Scotland- his original home country.
Just a few months before he passed, my partner’s family and I completed the Glasgow Kiltwalk, and I raised over £2000 for Pancreatic Cancer UK. My dad was delighted.
I spent as much time with him as I could
Soon after this was when my dad’s health started to quickly decline and I was told to come home urgently to spend time with him while I still could.
I spent as much time with him as I could over the next while, and the conversation that stood out to me was when he told me I could do anything I put my mind to. We discussed the family continuing his desire to fundraise and raise awareness after he passed, and he outright told me “just don’t do anything stupid like running a marathon!” And he would know, he ran 3 himself over the years!
Ewan and his family
Joining Team Pancreatic Cancer UK for the London Marathon
After he passed in May 2025, I turned back to running to help tackle my grief I decided to completely ignore that last little piece of advice (as usual!!), and I put my name forward for Team Pancreatic Cancer UK for the London Marathon, and actually got in!
My Dad is my biggest inspiration
As of February my family have now raised nearly £5000 as part of fundraising for the marathon, including a momentous Quiz Night in his old rugby club (which was truly a team effort!) and I’m well into my last training block!
Every week I feel that little bit closer to him, especially whenever I’m out in the pouring rain, or going up a particularly difficult hill. And every run reminds me of all the little phrases he used to shout to both my sister and I when we did ParkRuns with him – “Come on Ellen, keep going, one last push” and I still sprint the last 100m of every run thanks to him.
My dad is my biggest inspiration, and will continue to be my biggest motivator even though he has passed on now. I can’t wait to complete this next challenge in honour of him and hold true to the day he told me to do anything I could put my mind to.
Everything from here on in is all for him!
April 2026
