Two North Lincolnshire men share their experiences of Pancreatic Cancer

Hundreds of people suffer from Pancreatic Cancer each year and are diagnosed too late to be able to combat it. Two North Lincolnshire men have shared their experience with the disease in hopes to raise awareness.

Coinciding with Pancreatic Cancer Awareness month, which aims to raise awareness of a disease that often gets little attention despite the fact the fact that it’s one of the deadliest common cancers. This is largely due to difficult detection, with 90% of people with pancreatic cancer receiving a diagnosis too late for curative treatment.

Charity, Pancreatic Cancer Action, identifies the importance of finding signs early, with new research revealing that symptoms are often misinterpreted, misdiagnosed or completely ignored.

Two thirds (66%) of those surveyed admit that they know nothing or almost nothing about Pancreatic Cancer and over a third (36%) didn’t identify tummy pain, new onset diabetes (77%), itchy skin (61%), pale or very smelly poo (50%), persistent heartburn (60%) or swollen hands and feet (65%) as signs of cancer; all of which are symptoms of pancreatic cancer.

With pancreatic cancer currently receiving only 3% of available cancer research funding (which correlates with low survival rates), 76% believe that funding should correlate to how many people die from the disease, and this is currently not happening.

We spoke to David Fullard, from Broughton, North Lincolnshire, who fought his own battle with the condition, just 4 years after losing his daughter to it.

He tells us what it was like to find out:

"I was out cycling on the East Coast of Yorkshire when I started coughing blood. We came back and went to the hospital, to A&E, and I had some tests. Nothing showed but I was referred to a chest consultant. I had a CT, and this was October in 2020, at the height of the COVID, and the consultant rang me after the CT, and he said can you come in and see me. I thought something must have been wrong because we were only doing telephone interviews and appointments at the time.

"I went in and saw him. He said your chest is okay, but I'm afraid I have something else to tell you, and he tuned his screen round. He said if you look bottom right what can you see? and I looked bottom right and I could see my pancreas, and the end of it was all curled up and sort of frazzled. I said, I've got pancreatic cancer, haven't I? and he said yes you have unfortunately."

He says this was a moment where he felt doomed after having lost his daughter, at age 46 just a few years previously. She only survived 9 months.

"The whole sort of, feeling of death and doom, just envisaged me in seconds and I sat there and thought- that's a death sentence."

David eventually underwent a pancreatectomy and a splenectomy. This resulted in lifelong effects, like being diabetic and having a compromised immune system. Nonetheless he says he's happy to be alive.

Andrew Markham, is from Brigg in North Lincolnshire, he lost a friend to Pancreatic Cancer and has been raising awareness of it ever since.

"My involvement with Pancreatic Cancer, came from the fact I lost my friend in 2012. He only lasted about 6 months with the disease and had different symptoms and didn't know what was going on. They thought it was gout, they thought it was gall stones... that's my experience with it."

Andrew has since set up a group to bring survivors and friends together, he says it can still be difficult to process:

"We meet friends who knew Howard and knew other people that have passed away and it is very much an emotional time. I mean Howard was only 51 when he passed away. When we go, it can be quite emotionally draining because everyone's got their own stories... it is such a bloody horrible disease."

The signs and symptoms of Pancreatic Cancer include a loss of appetite, itchy skin and yellowing of the skin. For more information visit:

NHS Pancreatic Cancer