A 43-year-old man from Mansfield initially put his vomiting and severe abdominal discomfort down to his pre-existing fatty liver complaint. When his symptoms persisted, his sister—who had herself dealt with gallstones—suggested he might be suffering from the same problem. He attended the emergency department last September concerned about possible gallstones. Following a series of investigations, doctors informed him he had stage 3 and 4 pancreatic cancer and had approximately 12 months left. At that stage, the disease had already reached his liver and lymph nodes, and by November it had spread to his brain. He experienced a seizure on Saturday, April 18, which left him unable to get out of bed and with significant difficulty speaking. He was moved to palliative care at King’s Mill Hospital in Sutton-in-Ashfield.
His sister, Claire Armishaw, explained that when he received the diagnosis, he was utterly devastated and in shock. The entire family was too. Their father had died from lung cancer 12 months earlier. Then, just nine months on, they discovered their brother also had cancer. It was another terrible blow. They are still mourning their father, and now they must prepare for losing a brother too—it is truly heartbreaking. Their mother stays at home and is finding it very difficult to cope with these two immense losses.
Claire, who is also 45 and from Mansfield, is now gathering money for her brother’s forthcoming funeral costs, as the family finds itself in financial hardship following their father’s recent burial and Michael’s medical care. She said they struggled to pay for their father’s funeral because he had made no arrangements. The family eventually came together to manage it, but now they are facing difficulties again with Michael’s situation. Because of his age, a cancer diagnosis was not expected. Substantial sums were spent on treatments, so funeral costs have been delayed. When he had the seizure on Saturday, she realised she needed to make arrangements for him right away. It is dreadful. She received a quote of £1,850 from a funeral director for a straightforward cremation. They wanted payment upfront before even agreeing to collect his remains.
Around £300 has already been raised through the fundraising page Claire set up, with a goal of £2,400. The fundraising description reads: I am planning ahead, having recently lost our father to cancer as well and seeing at that time how costly funerals are. It really affected me. I am worried about what is coming—the expense and where the funds will come from—so I am creating this page to see if friends, family and well-wishers would like to donate. Even £1 would be greatly appreciated and would help lighten the load, especially our worries, during this hard time.