Mark
Mark was diagnosed with pancreatic neuroendocrine cancer (pNETs) in June 2025. He shares his experience of diagnosis, treatment and recovery, and reflects on adapting to his ‘new self’.
I am a pancreatic cancer survivor.
It started with itchy skin and a bit of weight loss
In early May 2025 I went to my GP and had blood tests because I had had itchy skin for two weeks and had lost a little bit of weight, which I thought was due to my training. I was relatively fit and in fact I was just about to go on a road cycling trip to Mallorca, but never got onto the plane.
My GP rang me late on a Friday 9th May and told me my blood results were deranged. My biliruben levels linked to my liver function were way too high and I needed to go into hospital urgently. I then spent the next 5 days in hospital having various scans and blood tests on the acute observation ward.
We both just felt numb
On 15th May I left hospital with suspected pancreatic cancer in complete shock. I remember the consultant telling me and feeling completely overwhelmed and I just burst into tears. I then had to call my wife, tell her and get her to pick me up. For the next few days, I think we both just felt numb as we came to terms with it. To make it more challenging my son was just starting his GCSEs so we needed to manage what we told our children very carefully at the time.
Over the next few days I was contacted by the hospital to have a PET scan, and see the hepato-pancreato-biliary (HPB) consultants. By the weekend I had had a PET scan and the following Wednesday I saw the consultant. Whilst there was a lesion on my pancreas I needed to then have a biopsy to confirm the diagnosis.
It was a localised, NET tumour
On 10th June 2025 I was fully diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. I remember the date clearly because it is both mine and my wife’s birthday. I never imagined getting diagnosed with cancer on my birthday. As you can imagine it was a rather sombre birthday celebration meal we had later that day.
The positive news though was that it was a NET tumour, it was localised (hadn’t spread outside the pancreas), and I could have Whipple surgery to remove it. The other positives were that I was being treated at a hospital in an area that I knew well. It was a bit like being home from home, because when I started work in London back in 1993 I lived in the area for 15 years – so I knew it well. Little did I know I would be driving back there 32 years later for consultations and treatment.
Getting ready for surgery
Over the next few weeks I had another PET scan, pre-op checks and got myself ready for surgery. It turns out Whipple surgery is significant and complex abdominal surgery that typically takes a full day of surgery. I’m not going to lie – I was definitely nervous about the surgery.
I told my children I had pancreatic cancer
On 21 June, after my son had completed his GCSEs, we took a family trip to Camden Town with the kids – just to do something fun. My son and daughter wanted to go around the markets – and for me it was a positive distraction. When we got home, I told my children I had pancreatic cancer – a conversation no parent wants to have with their children. Up to that point we had not wanted to worry the children as we didn’t know all the details about the diagnosis and treatment. Now that I did and had a surgery date it felt right to tell them then.
Mark after his surgery
The day of my surgery
The night before surgery I stayed in the hospital campus having had a meal out with my wife and children. I didn’t sleep well and was awake at 4am. I had my pre-op drinks and watched the sun rise. Then I sat outside the hospital at 6.30am on Friday 4th July 2025 and recorded a short video about how I felt which I then shared. Throughout the last 12 months I have shared my experiences openly on social media (LinkedIn and Instagram). Not only did it help me process what was going on, I know that it helped provide comfort and inspiration to others.
At 7am I checked into the hospital for surgery. I completed all the paperwork. Shared some messages with my wife, family and friends and then walked to the operating theatre. Again, another moment you don’t forget – walking into a room with eight or more surgeons, doctors and nurses there waiting to operate on you.
The next thing I remember is waking up at the end of the day in the intensive care unit and my wife and son coming to visit me at about 8.30pm. I can’t tell what a relief it was to see them and know I was OK.
I then spent the next eight days recovering in hospital and then went home on 12th July. The surgeons, doctors and nurses were brilliant and the treatment I had was world class.
My year since surgery
Over the 12 months after my surgery, I’ve been very fortunate to have a strong recovery. My NET tumour was successfully removed. The cancer had not spread, so I was clear, and I didn’t need chemotherapy or radiotherapy.
I’ve had to learn to adapt and understand my “new” self, working out where my new boundaries are. Two weeks ago, I celebrated my “independence of cancer” day exactly 12 months from surgery. I’m hoping to celebrate many more over the years to come.
