Lee Rawlison was unaware he had terminal cancer. The 51-year-old father of two was a healthy marathon runner and worked as a medical sales representative. He had only one symptom warning him of the tumor: pain in his abdomen. It began as mild and grew severe. By the time he was finally diagnosed, doctors said he only had a few months left to live.
From dull pain to terminal cancer
At first, Rawlison thought the dull ache in his abdomen came from stress. He didn’t believe he had any reason to worry since he was a healthy marathon runner. Plus, his urine and blood tests returned normal when he saw his GP in January 2024. He began using daily painkillers to help him function.
However, the pain became unignorable in September. “If you can imagine a scaffolding pole being slowly pushed through you, right through to your back, that’s what it felt like,” he said to Economic Times.
On October 31, after a hospital visit and a CT scan, Rawlison received his diagnosis: terminal pancreatic cancer. According to his doctors, there was nothing he could’ve done to prevent it since his grandfather had also had pancreatic cancer. They believe the disease had most likely come from a “dodgy gene”. Unfortunately, the cancer had spread to his liver, making the tumor inoperable and thereby untreatable. They told him he had “months to live”.
After hearing his diagnosis, the father went trick-or-treating with his kids, Darcey and Marley, aged ten and seven. The next day, Rawlinson sat down with them and his wife to tell them the bad news. Since then, the family has been focused on creating memories. Additionally, Rawlinson is dedicated to raising awareness of pancreatic cancer to help prevent others from experiencing the same situation.
What is pancreatic cancer?
Pancreatic is the deadliest of common cancers, according to Pancreatic Cancer UK. Over half of patients die within three months of their diagnosis, and unfortunately, the survival statistics have barely improved over the last several decades. This is partially because of how late the diagnosis comes since the symptoms begin vaguely or not at all.
Unfortunately, early pancreatic cancer usually has no symptoms so it’s difficult to catch ut before it’s terminal. However, as the tumor enlarges and/or spreads beyond the pancreas, signs can appear. According to the American Cancer Society, these includes:
-Unintended weight loss and poor appetite
-Pain in the abdomin or back
-Fatigue or physical weakness
-Nausea and vomiting
-Jaundice along with dark urine, itchy skin, and light-colored stools
-Blood clots like deep vein thrombosis or pulmonary embolism
-Diabetes caused by the tumor destroying cells in the pancreas
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Creating last memories
“This will be my last Christmas,” Rawlinson said in December to BBC. “I’m facing the jaws of death. I’m sailing towards it and I can’t do anything about it, yet I just have to face it… I fear leaving my children and Faye behind—not being able to be there when they’re in trouble, not being able to make it better when tears flow, watching Marley developing his football, watching Darcey developing her theatrical talents, not being able to be there for Faye…”
In their mission to create lasting memories, the family enjoyed a trip to Lapland where the kids saw snow for the first time. They also got VIP tickets for an Arsenal football game. The father described the trip to Lapland as a “dream come true” for the children. He admitted he was “on steroids to get me through it but I was awestruck the entire time… I want them to think that their daddy could do anything, and I want them to grow up in a world where they can do anything.
“I feel that Christmas is more than presents. It is an experience and being with family and spending so much time together was incredible. Normally, it is all about the rush and spoiling them, but I spent so much time with them out there as a father,” he said to Echo News.
After the holidays, Rawlison plans to continue campaigning for pancreatic cancer awareness. He hopes others won’t ignore warning signs, and will get regular screenings if its in their family medical history. “Survival for pancreatic cancer has barely improved since the 1970s, and it’s got to change,” he said. “I want people to sit up and think, what can we do to stop this disease from destroying another young family’s life?”
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