Laura & Duncan
Duncan was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer when he was 66 years old. He spent all of 2025 making memories with his family, passing away early in 2026. His daughter, Laura, reflects on their loss and her gratitude for the time they had with him.
Dad had a major health scare
On 8th June 2024, my dad suffered a major cardiac arrest. His heart stopped for 12 minutes. The ambulance arrived within two minutes and worked tirelessly on him before taking him to hospital. Dad was placed in intensive care, where he was sedated for around two weeks. He was later transferred to a ward and, miraculously, made a full recovery and returned home.
Sadly, this happiness was short-lived. Just a few weeks later, Dad began to feel unwell again and was taken back to hospital. Doctors discovered a mass on his pancreas and arranged a CT scan. Following the scan, we were given the devastating news it was cancer.
In August, Dad received the results and was told the cancer was terminal. With chemotherapy, he was given around six months to live; without it, just three. This news broke our entire family.
He was defying the odds
Dad began chemotherapy shortly after and, incredibly, started to defy the odds as his cancer markers began to decrease.
All we kept thinking was, “Make it to Christmas” and he did. That Christmas, he spent the day with his wife, children, and grandchildren. It was a bittersweet time; while it was special, the feeling that it might be the last was overwhelming.
In 2025, Dad saw the birth of my brother’s first son and even travelled to London in May to visit them.
We spent the whole of 2025 making memories and cherishing our time together. Dad adored his grandchildren, so we made sure he saw them as often as possible.
Duncan with his family
Dad decided to stop treatment
In September 2025, I ran the Great North Run for Pancreatic Cancer UK and raised around £500. Around the same time, the chemotherapy was taking its toll, and Dad made the difficult decision to stop treatment.
By December 2025, his condition suddenly declined. One day he was driving to pick my mum up, and the next he was unable to get out of bed. Over the following days, he remained in bed, suffering with severe stomach pain.
On Christmas Day, he managed to get up and spend some time with me and my two children.
My dad was a proud man and rarely showed how much pain he was truly in. I think he knew the end was near. He said he wanted to pass away at home, and we respected his wishes.
I never imagined it would be the last message I would ever receive
On New Year’s Day, I was at work. I texted Dad to wish him a happy new year, and he replied. I never imagined that would be the last message I would ever receive from him, but it was. Later that evening, my mum called to say he was very unwell. I went straight round, and my dad passed away.
It’s incredibly hard to grieve someone while they are still alive, and then grieve them all over again when they’re gone.
Losing a parent is something I wouldn’t wish on anyone. The grief and pain can feel unbearable at times, but we were so lucky to have that extra time with him.
My Dad was so lucky to have my Mam through it all. Without her care and attention to my Dad it would have been so much harder on the whole family. She did absolutely everything to make my Dad comfortable and to care for him.
April 2026
