Kirsty O'Shea Johnston’s Story on Losing Her Mum Betty

When Kirsty O’Shea-Johnston’s mum, Betty, started losing her appetite and complaining of back pain, pancreatic cancer was the last thing anyone suspected.

“She had always been so full of life,” says Kirsty. “Mum had just turned 59, she looked after herself, and she was the kind of woman who lit up a room. When I saw her that summer in 2013, she looked smaller, thinner and just different. But you never think something that serious is hiding beneath the surface.”

In April 2014, Betty died from pancreatic cancer.

“When she was admitted into hospital, they told my sister and I to bring the grandchildren in to say goodbye. I thought she was being taken in to plan for chemotherapy, and I had planned to stay a few weeks to help her through it.”

Kirsty was working as a nanny for a consultant anaesthetist at Aberdeen Royal Infirmary when her mum’s condition worsened. “Mum was too poorly to be transferred by ambulance from Lambert Hospital to Aberdeen, so I was forced to sign disclaimers to transfer her myself by car with Karen if I wanted her in Roxburghe House in Aberdeen. It felt surreal driving her there with a drip in her arm.”

Once in Aberdeen, Kirsty asked for a hospital bed and support from nurses at home so she could care for her mum in comfort. “I didn’t want to turn my house into a hospital room, I just wanted to make sure she was cared for properly.”

Despite everything, Betty’s strength shone through. Against all odds, she rallied and for a while it felt as though the family had got her back. “She started eating again, walking, chatting, laughing. She was still Mum, still the same funny, cheeky woman who could find humour in anything.”

As time went on, her health began to decline again. “Mum always worried about Karen, even more so towards the end. She made me promise to look out for her, and I did. She knew she was leaving, but her thoughts were still about everyone else.”

Since losing her mum, Kirsty has thrown herself into raising awareness and funds for pancreatic cancer. “I ran a marathon ten days after she died. It was my way of coping. I’ve now raised over fourteen thousand pounds for Pancreatic Cancer Action and Cancer Research through marathons and group fundraisers. I just can’t believe how many people are being diagnosed with this disease and how underfunded it still is. People don’t know the symptoms and by the time they do, it’s often too late.”

Kirsty has faced even more heartbreak since then. “My sister Karen passed away two years ago from breast and bone cancer. She was only 49. We looked after her.”

Now, Kirsty continues to campaign and speak out to help others spot the signs sooner. “If you have unexplained back pain, weight loss, a change in your appetite, or anything that doesn’t feel right, get it checked. I had never heard of pancreatic cancer before Mum got it, but if I had, maybe things would have been different. The sooner people recognise the symptoms, the more lives can be saved.”

Betty’s story is one of strength, laughter and love that continues to inspire everyone who hears it. “Mum faced it all with humour and dignity. She never complained, and even when she was at her weakest, she found something to laugh about. She was an incredible woman.”