Father who 'put sickness down to working' diagnosed with most common deadliest cancer

Shaun Walsh, 43, attributed the symptoms he had been suffering since May to his tiresome job until he visited the doctor and learned he had pancreatic cancer.

Walsh, from Huyton, Merseyside, the UK, works as an industrial cladder, and his job frequently exposes him to heat, which causes him discomfort sometime; he didn’t worry when he fell ill earlier this year.

It was only when his urine became discolored and his skin started to look yellowish that the father-of-one understood that he needed medical attention to check on his health.

The concerned man had several scans and tests done at Whiston Hospital, and he was shocked when he was told he was suffering from the fastest killing cancer in his country.

Read more on our Twitter account @amomama_usa.

"I put my sickness down to working in the heat and then having a big tea afterwards,” Walsh said.

"They thought it might be gallstones, so I had lots of scans and an endoscopy which revealed I had a tumor at the head of the pancreas,” he added.

Only one in four people who are diagnosed with this fairly common kind of cancer die within a month, but Walsh was fortunate enough to have all the cancerous tissue removed from his body successfully at the Royal Liverpool hospital.

Pancreatic cancer typically doesn’t give any indicators in its early stage, which makes it difficult to diagnose right away, so as soon as one notices any warnings, one must not waste any time before going to the hospital.

"It was a huge operation, but if hadn't gone through it I wouldn't be speaking to you now. Every time I see my surgeon Declan Dunne I give him a hug, he saved my life and had me up and about in six weeks,” Walsh shared.

Now a cancer survivor, Walsh revealed that he was determined to go back home from the hospital in time for his daughter Darcey’s sixth birthday.

His girlfriend, Rachel had her birthday the week after that as well. Although he is feeling well, Walsh is still undergoing chemotherapy.

This hasn’t stopped him from training for a 2km challenge he will take part in to raise funds for Pancreatic Cancer UK.

"I'm halfway through chemo, for belt and braces really, it gets worse every time I go through it, but I'm like a spring I'll always get back up again,” said Walsh, who expects to raise £1,200 ($1,500) for cancer research.

"I've loved doing the swimming and to have my friends and family next to me for the challenge will be great. They've been so there for me for the past couple of months, I couldn't have done it without them,” he added.

SIGNS OF PANCREATIC CANCER

Walsh ignored his symptoms for months before seeking medical advice, and he was lucky to reach out for doctors in time for them to save his life, but it is important to learn about some of the signs of this lethal form of cancer and be attentive.

Pancreatic cancer typically doesn’t give any indicators in its early stage, which makes it difficult to diagnose right away.

Stomach ache, unexplained weight loss, frequent indigestion, loss of appetite, changes in bowel habits and stool appearance and odor, jaundice, nausea, and difficulty swallowing, are symptoms to pay attention to.

DEVASTATING STORIES

While Walsh had a second chance to continue living with his beloved daughter and his partner, 33-year-old Samantha Webster had to face the fact that her days with her loved ones were numbered due to an aggressive form of cancer.

After Webster was told that she had just weeks to live, she wanted to make one of her biggest dreams come true before her time was up, so she exchanged vows with his fiancé from her hospital bed just six days before passing away.

Another newlywed bride saw her honeymoon turn into a nightmare after her husband went from being apparently fine to die of lung cancer in a matter of 12 hours, rendering her a devastated widow.