'GP gave stepdad laxatives, but we knew something was very wrong'
Ronnie Haston was planning for retirement, but died two weeks after being admitted to hospital
A devoted stepfather died from cancer after his symptoms were initially dismissed as constipation. Beth Hunt, 42, a nurse from East Calder, lost her stepfather Ronnie Haston to myeloma in April 2024, two weeks after he was admitted to hospital.
Ronnie, who was just 68, owned a hearing devices business, and had always been active and healthy. He was making plans for his retirement, when he became suddenly unwell in March last year - but after a phone consultation with the GP, his symptoms were put down to constipation.
"It was two weeks from admission to hospital until he died," said Beth. "He was fit and healthy, he had no underlying health conditions. It was a complete shock to us all. He didn't get to enjoy one day of retirement with my mum or do any of the future they had planned together.
"It started with constipation, which the GP gave him laxatives for. He was really fatigued and had muscle pain. He just didn't look right."
Ronnie was told he needed a blood test but would have to wait two weeks for it. At her wit's end, Beth's mum Anne took Ronnie to A&E. Tests there showed his kidney function had plummeted to just 14 per cent. He had extremely high calcium levels.
He was eventually diagnosed with myeloma, a form of blood cancer which around 33,000 people across the UK are living with. Sadly, Ronnie passed away after two weeks in hospital.
'They'd said he would start chemo and they had a full plan,' said Beth. 'They said he would be a good candidate for a stem cell transplant. He ended up having two lots of chemo whist very unwell with pneumonia and then two days later he died.
"He pretty much went into multi-organ failure. It's shocking, completely shocking.'
She added: 'It's not people's fault, it's the system's fault. The catalogue of errors, the wait. We kept saying, 'He needs a blood test', but he couldn't get a blood test for two weeks.
"In this day and age how is that acceptable? If somebody is unwell, you need the blood test now. Even in hospital, it was all too little too late. The big thing for me is educating GPs.
"The symptoms of myeloma are sometimes non-descript and not obvious. You could put them down to muscle ache and being tired, but these should be red flags for a GP, especially in someone with no underlying conditions and having never been to a GP apart from with cellulitis from mosquito bites.
"If Ronnie hadn't been so unwell by the time he got into hospital, he would have been in a better position to fight it."
In honour of her beloved stepfather, mum-of-two Beth has decided to run the Edinburgh Marathon to raise money for Myeloma UK. 'I signed up to the Edinburgh Marathon on the evening of Ronnie's funeral," she said.
"When I ran a 10-mile eight years ago, mum and Ronnie were my biggest supporters. They ran across Edinburgh to meet me at as many points as they could. It's my first marathon, but when I decide to do something I do it.
'I know I can do at least half but I'll probably have to push through the last six miles. I think of Ronnie and my mum when I run – the last year without him has been awful for her. If she can wake up without him and can put one foot in front of the other then I can take it one step at a time too.'
So far, she has raised over £1,500 of her £2,000 target, and hopes to ensure that no other families have to go through the sudden loss of a loved one. Ronnie always was a strong presence in our family," said Beth
'I'd had him in my life since I was 19. You don't realise the impact someone had until you lose them. He was a gentle man. He was always someone you could lean on. He'd never judge, he'd always support you and just show up. If I can do anything to help other families then I want to do it.
"Myeloma UK's support is totally invaluable and had Ronnie been able to live longer it would have been very useful to us. Life will never be the same without him. It is so cliche, but the reality is life is short and so precious.
"I want to support other families; I don't want anybody else to go through this."
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