A single mum is in a critical battle with pancreatic cancer and is urging the public to recognise the symptoms of the stealthy killer.
Claire Blair, aged 44, finally got the correct diagnosis in September 2022 after enduring six months of misdiagnosed symptoms since her first GP consultation.
The tragic lag in receiving an accurate diagnosis and essential testing allowed the cancer to metastasise from her pancreas to her liver, culminating in the heart-wrenching task of breaking the news to her teenage son Thomas, 14, and her nearly 12-year-old daughter Aimee, who looks forward to her birthday in July.
Claire, who works as an administrative coordinator and hails from Inverkeithing, Fife, is now on a mission to spread the word about the early indicators of pancreatic cancer that she encountered.
“I first went to the GP in March 2022, I had a few symptoms then,” Claire recounted. “I was rapidly losing weight. I was doing Slimming World but at the time even if I ate junk for a whole week, I would still lose a lot of weight every week.
“(I had) constipation as well as pains in my tummy. That started that March and the doctor referred me straight away to a bowel specialist.”
Initially thought to have bowel cancer by the consulting specialist, it was only after this was ruled out that a CT scan revealed an anomaly on her pancreas, which was later identified as tumours through a biopsy.
Looking back, Claire identifies persistent stomach pain as her earliest symptom and strongly advises anyone with similar experiences to consult their doctor. “It was like a throbbing pain. It was there constantly,” she recounted.
Claire, reflecting on her ordeal, recognised her continual stomach aches as the first sign of trouble and has been urging those who feel anything akin to consult their GP. Expressing her concern, she said: “It didn’t go away no matter how many paracetamols or co-codamol or anything,” she disclosed. “It just wouldn’t go away.”
Addressing an essential healthcare gap, she pointed out: “With pancreatic cancer, a lot of GPs don’t know the symptoms. So they are trying to get GPs to understand what the early symptoms are, because for most people, by the time they get these symptoms it’s too late.”
Pancreatic cancer strikes around 10,500 people in the UK each year. Treatment can be successful if the disease is detected early enough, primarily through surgery; yet, the majority of cases are found too late due to a lack of early diagnostic tools or screening tests that would assist doctors in identifying the disease swiftly.
The pancreas, tucked away behind the stomach, plays a vital role in our body by producing digestive enzymes and insulin to control blood sugar. However, pancreatic cancer symptoms are often deceptively mild, leading to alarmingly late diagnoses with about half of patients dying within three months of detection.
Claire’s fight against cancer was severely hampered by delayed test results, costing her the chance at a potentially curative operation. “They had originally told me that I would get the results within two weeks, but it actually turned into seven weeks,” she revealed.
“By that point it had spread to my liver. I had originally been told that I could get surgery to remove it from the pancreas. But it was too late.”
Despite enduring a gruelling bi-weekly chemotherapy for four months, Claire suffered greatly. Initially, there seemed to be hope; by May last year, scans indicated the tumours had vanished.
Yet, a routine check-up in February delivered the devastating blow that the cancer had returned.
“They had arranged for me to get the same chemotherapy as I had done before, but I took a really bad reaction to it and ended up in the high dependency ward for a couple of days,” Claire explained. Presently, she is on chemotherapy tablets to keep the tumour at bay, facing an uncertain future regarding their effectiveness.
In a valiant effort to combat pancreatic cancer, Claire has become the face of Pancreatic Cancer UK’s 2024 Double Donation Appeal. The campaign promises that every penny donated to the charity up until 2 July will be doubled by benevolent benefactors, with a cap of £170,000.
This initiative is vital in the quest for new treatments for pancreatic cancer, which alarmingly only garners a meagre 3% of the yearly cancer research budget.
Claire stars in a new YouTube video released by the charity, featuring alongside ‘Gavin and Stacey’ actress Alison Steadman, aiming to drum up funds for this devastating disease.
“It’s one of the deadliest cancers and one of the most underfunded as well which is why we are trying to get it more recognised,” said Claire. “If I can help even one person to get in there and get diagnosed as early as possible (it will help).
“I’m really, really honoured to be asked and to take part in the Double Donation Appeal. If you have any of the symptoms, go and get it checked as soon as possible.”
Despite grappling with her own diagnosis, Claire is determined to make the most of her time with her loved ones, making memories to last a lifetime. “My daughter is great. She’s like me and gets on with it,” she shared. “My son, though, he took it really bad. He’s been struggling.”
She cautions against the dangers of self-diagnosis via the internet, saying: “When you Google it, it’s not good reading. So we’re trying to encourage him not to read things on the internet. He’s getting there. He still comes home every lunchtime to check on me.”
Claire enthused about future holiday plans despite the challenges, remarking: “We are looking at going to Greece at the end of September, me and the kids. To go to Rhodes. We’ve never been there. The forecast says it will still be in the late 20s in September. So I will take them there.”
Pancreatic Cancer UK stands as a beacon of hope, providing essential support through their dedicated Support Line. This service is managed by specialist nurses equipped to offer professional, confidential advice and information.
If you’re seeking further assistance, you can call Pancreatic Cancer UK for free on 0808 801 0707 or head to the Pancreatic Cancer UK website for more support.