“My Dad is a pancreatic cancer survivor. We are so lucky to have him with us and I don’t want to take that for granted. I want to help change things so that other families are in the same position as us and their loved ones survive.”

“The first sign that my dad was unwell was when he was starting to flag in energy. He and Mum came down to London to visit around Mother’s Day in 2022. Dad wasn’t feeling very well during the trip, and he has always been full of beans, so it wasn’t like him to feel fatigued. I don’t remember him ever taking a sick day while I was growing up. He was experiencing some pain in his shoulder, and he had lost some weight, but he was trying to lose a few pounds, so we didn’t think anything of it. Dad also thought he had been developing a nice tan, but disappointingly it turned out to be jaundice.

“In June 2022, he went to see the GP and they didn’t know what was causing his symptoms. Initially, they thought he potentially might have liver cancer. He had lots of scans and tests, and in July he was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer.

“My background is in science and public health, and I had a lot of questions, but I didn’t want to put them on Dad, so I did my own research. Learning about pancreatic cancer was heart-breaking as the prognosis is so bad. I had heard of pancreatic cancer before Dad was diagnosed but I didn’t know much about it, or that it had one of the worst prognoses out of the many different types of cancer. Once pancreatic cancer is on your radar and affects someone in your family, you hear about it everywhere.

“It was a very scary time for our family. After the doctors confirmed that Dad had pancreatic cancer, they brought him in for more scans and blood tests. For around three months, they weren’t sure if they would be able to operate, so we were living in limbo not knowing if surgery was an option. Finally, we were told one Monday in October 2022 that they were going to attempt surgery, though they may not be able to complete it, and then it all happened quickly after that. He had surgery on the Wednesday of the same week.

“I had started to lose hope that an operation was on the cards, and I was worried about how long we had to wait as time is of the essence with pancreatic cancer. My dad was, at least outwardly, incredibly positive throughout this time. For me, it felt very precarious for a long time and waiting to hear if he could have an operation was the hardest part of the whole experience.

“Thankfully, during that time, he was fitted with a stent and that helped with his jaundice. After this, Dad wasn’t in any real pain or even discomfort. He could lead a reasonable life, albeit he had less energy. He is also someone who is very happy with his life, so he found he could look at the likely chance of death without fear or regret. He was worried about how we would all cope if that happened, but was very content enjoying small everyday pleasures, including seeing us.

“The operation itself was really stressful. When we found out it was going ahead, I was at home in London. They said the surgery was going to take about eight hours and I was at work frantically asking my mum for updates. The operation took 10.5 hours in the end. I got a missed call from Mum when I was on the tube, and I thought the worst. Thankfully when I got through to her, she said the operation had gone well but it was more complicated than expected.

“Afterwards, the doctors were clear that if it turned out that there was cancer present in the lymph nodes, the cancer would come back. Dad was in hospital for a month recovering after the operation. His recovery was complicated by an internal bleed, which he was forewarned was likely. This required him to be fed intravenously for three weeks – perhaps the worst part of the whole cycle of diagnosis and treatment. He wanted to get up and about and felt impatient with how slow the recovery was.

“Dad was discharged from hospital and came home before Christmas. He had the option of getting six months of chemotherapy and had a lot of discussions with his doctor about whether to go ahead with it. After mulling it over, he declined as his logic was that it wouldn’t improve his odds of survival by much. Also, this way he would get a chance to enjoy life and to recover from the operation. When he came home he had drains in for a long time which hindered his movement, but once those came out, he recovered quickly. Since then, he has been back to normal aside from being diabetic, to the extent that you think ‘did that really happen?’.

“I decided to run the Hackney half marathon in May 2024 to raise money for Pancreatic Cancer Action. The charity gave Dad so much support after he was diagnosed and after his operation. The training was a big challenge as I’m not a naturally sporty person. My Dad used to do the Great North Run years ago so it was great to follow in his footsteps. I’ve taken my health for granted a bit so I thought running a half marathon would be a challenge and a good way to raise money for a great cause.”

In May 2024, David Slater joined Pancreatic Cancer Action’s Board of Trustees. Having patient voices on the Board is crucial as they provide invaluable insights into the challenges faced by those affected by pancreatic cancer. David’s inclusion helps Pancreatic Cancer Action better advocate for the needs of the community and drive meaningful progress in combating the disease.