Our ‘fit' dad died weeks after we got his diagnosis – his Apple Watch alerted us & a simple question could've saved him

The Sun

6 days ago

WHEN Alan Orchard nearly collapsed on a bike ride through the Lancashire hills in 2023, no one imagined he'd be dead just over a year later.
But for Alan's children, David and Lucy, yet more heartbreak lies in the belief their dad could have had longer with them, or even still be here now, if just one simple question had been brought up earlier.
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'If the doctors had asked about dad's family history, they'd have found out his sister Judy died of pancreatic cancer 12 years before when she was 60,' David, 35, from Preston, Lancashire, tells Sun Health.
'It could have changed everything.'
Instead, it took 13 months for the retired council project manager to get a cancer diagnosis from the onset of his first symptoms.
And when it finally came, it was too late - Alan died just four weeks later, aged 68.
Lucy, 33, says: 'The medics never connected the dots despite the fact it felt strange because he was such a healthy person suddenly having issues.
'I find those 'what ifs' really hard to deal with now.
'Had the doctors known about his sister when investigating these sudden health issues in 2023, things may have been so different.
'That knowledge, combined with the pre-diabetes and heart issues, should have been three massive red flags.
'We might have had a chance to explore chemo or an operation, or to go private to speed things up.
'Instead, when it did finally get diagnosed, dad's rate of decline was like going from 0 to 100 in no time at all.'
I'm a doctor, NEVER ignore these pancreatic cancer symptoms
Alan had lived his life by the book, alongside his loving wife Julie, 69, a retired school bursar.
'He was so fit, so healthy,' David says. 'He was cycling 20 to 30 miles four or five days a week.
'He'd never had a day off work in his life.'
In May 2023, during a regular cycle with his club, Alan felt faint.
His Apple Watch showed an erratic heartbeat and Julie rushed him to A&E.
Doctors discovered Alan was dehydrated and suffering from atrial fibrillation - an irregular heart rhythm.
By August, blood tests flagged pre-diabetes. He was told to start taking up to 10 tablets a day.
Beauty business owner Lucy, also from Preston, says: 'He was absolutely mortified.
'He was a really proud man who, like mum, took good care of himself but he actually got quite tearful because the doctor suggested he may be eating the wrong things.'
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Alan carried on taking holidays in his beloved motor home with Julie and trying to stay active.
He became increasingly conscious of what he was eating.
On May, 26, 2024, Alan saw a cardiologist for the irregular heartbeat, atrial fibrillations, that were still bothering him.
His heart issues remained, and he was told he'd likely need cardioversion to shock his heart back into rhythm.
But the very next day, on the May Bank Holiday, he took a turn for the worse.
TURN FOR THE WORSE
Lucy says: 'I looked at dad that day and I just cried. He looked grey. He'd lost weight.
'We had walked into the village that day to watch my nephew [David's son] in a parade, and I ended up having to link arms with dad and he was propping himself up on a wall as he was tired and had a pain in his upper stomach.
'I was such a daddy's girl, I became obsessive from that day on.
'I think because we were so close, I just knew he had cancer and I was terrified.'
Alan returned to the GP on May 31, following the sudden decline in his health.
That week, he had numerous doctor's appointments.
He was told he now had type 1 diabetes and started having to inject insulin.
But alarm bells rang when blood tests showed abnormalities in his liver and pancreas.
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'The GP said he suspected pancreatic cancer and was referring Dad on the two-week cancer pathway,' says David.
'I had taken that day off and, when I heard, I Googled it on the beach while my son played. It was terrifying.
'It said he could have months - maybe a year at best so from that day on, until after he died, I chose not to look again because I wanted to remain positive and hopeful for Dad.'
A day later, Alan began to notice his vision worsening.
He was rushed to Lancaster Hospital by ambulance.
His insulin was increased which helped with his sudden diabetes diagnosis, but over the next week, he found it increasingly hard to eat without experiencing huge discomfort.
Lucy, who had moved back into the family home, admits: 'I was obsessive, thinking I could heal him with juices.
'One of my friends made some for us and I bought a juicer.
'I'd buy all organic vegetables and fruit and leave several options for him next to a little note that said 'I love you'.'
The gastro consultant confirmed pancreatic cancer and that it had spread to his liver but it was all very fast.
David
Alan's weight loss, pain and weakness continued.
On June 10, a full-body CT scan was carried out.
A week later, a doctor called Alan to say he had looked at the scan results and found blood clots on Alan's lungs and he needed to make his way to the hospital urgently.
What you need to know about pancreatic cancer
AS with most cancers, the earlier you detect pancreatic cancer the better a patient's chance of survival.
That's why it's so important to know the signs and symptoms, and to act and seek your GP if you're worried.
Here, Nicci Murphy, a specialist nurse who staffs Pancreatic Cancer UK's Support Line, reveals what you need to know.
How common is pancreatic cancer?
Around 10,700 people are diagnosed with pancreatic cancer each year in the UK.
Are there different types?
There are different types of pancreatic cancer, the most common being pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma, which accounts for around 95 per cent of cases.
However, there are other, less common types of pancreatic cancer, such as pancreatic neuroendocrine tumours (PNETs).
What are the early warning signs and symptoms you should look out for?
Pancreatic cancer often doesn't cause symptoms in the early stages which makes it incredibly difficult to detect.
As the cancer grows, it may start to cause symptoms, but they are often vague and associated with common, less serious conditions.
Common symptoms of pancreatic cancer include:
tummy (abdominal) and/or back pain
unexplained weight loss and indigestion.
Other symptoms include:
loss of appetite
changes to bowel habits – including steatorrhoea (pale, smelly poo that may float), diarrhoea (loose watery poo) or constipation (problems emptying your bowels)
jaundice (yellow skin and eyes, dark urine, pale-coloured stools and itchy skin)
recently diagnosed diabetes or sudden, uncontrolled blood sugars in diabetics
problems digesting food – such as feeling full quickly when eating, bloating, burping or lots of wind
feeling and being sick (nausea and vomiting) and difficulty swallowing.
If a person has any of these symptoms and they don't know why they have them, they should contact their GP or call NHS 111.
If they have jaundice, they need to go to their GP or A&E straight away.
What's the treatment and survival rate?
Pancreatic cancer is the deadliest common cancer: more than half of people die within three months of diagnosis.
Research into the disease has been underfunded for decades, resulting in survival rates that have barely improved in the last 50 years – in stark contrast to other cancers.
Due to the vague symptoms associated with the disease and a lack of early detection test, 80 per cent of people aren't diagnosed until after the cancer has spread, meaning they are unable to have lifesaving treatment.
Surgery is the only potentially curative treatment for pancreatic cancer yet just 10 per cent of people are eligible for it.
It was that day, on June 17, 2024 that he finally got a diagnosis.
'The gastro consultant confirmed pancreatic cancer and that it had spread to his liver but it was all very fast,' David says.
'They booked a biopsy for June 27, but Dad was already deteriorating rapidly.'
Lucy, who was waiting with David in her car outside the hospital, recalls: 'I was beside myself when I saw them both.
'They were walking slowly towards the car clearly distressed and Mum said, 'it's not good.'
'They could barely speak because of the emotion of it all and then dad just gave me a massive hug and we were all just crying. It's something I'll never, ever get over.'
Alan grew sicker by the day.
He suffered violent hiccups, caused by the tumour blocking his duodenum - part of the small intestine.
His first oncology appointment was set for July 9. 'It felt like everything was too slow,' David says.
'Every day matters with this type of cancer. It's one of the most aggressive out there. We kept being told there were processes to follow. But it felt like no one was in a rush.'
Alan suddenly took a serious turn.
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Because he was so dehydrated, medics gave him an IV drip, not realising at this point his tumour had caused a blockage.
When Alan returned home, he started being violently sick because of all the fluids he'd been given, and his hiccups were so severe, Lucy says, 'it was like he was fitting'.
After returning to hospital, on July 15, in agonising pain doctors fitted a stent to unblock his duodenum, in the hope that if it was successful he could begin chemotherapy.
The next day, it was the Euro Cup final which will forever remain a bittersweet memory for David.
David says: 'England were playing Spain, and I watched it with Dad in hospital but it was a very surreal experience for me because I was driving through my town watching people going to the pub to watch it but I was going to hospital to watch it with my dad, who was dying.'
The stent operation appeared to go well.
'He came out of theatre with a smile and a thumbs up and said, 'I'm ready for the chemo now,'' David remembers.
But just like his sister Judy, Alan deteriorated within days.
Lucy says: 'The last few hours, when dad was in hospital, were just awful because he was in so much pain he couldn't even speak.
'I was just holding his hand and saying 'Dad, just picture yourself on your bike, and you're going to get a massive 99 ice-cream' because that's what he loved.'
FINAL HOURS
Finally, after the help from his sister-in-law, Alan was taken to the hospice to see out his final hours in peace with Julie, David and Lucy by his side.
He died in the early hours of July 18, just nine hours after arriving at the hospice.
'It was peaceful. The hospice staff were incredible,' David says.
'Absolutely nothing can prepare you for the loss of a parent,' Lucy says.
'Every day you wake up and it hits you, like, 'oh my gosh, did that actually happen?'.'
David, who runs a cheese export business, says doctors need better training to ask about simple risk factors.
'A year earlier, if they'd looked at Dad's family history, if they'd joined the dots - it could've been a totally different outcome,' he says.
The siblings are now backing calls for more investment in early detection, including a breath test in development, that could flag pancreatic cancer in its early, silent stages.
'If you catch it early, there are more options - like being able to operate, chemotherapy, and survival rates change dramatically,' David says.
'But once it's late, it's too aggressive. Dad never stood a chance.
'We were told things had changed since Auntie Judy died. But with pancreatic cancer, nothing has changed.'
'You can't turn a blind eye to any symptoms,' Lucy adds. 'Detecting pancreatic cancer is so difficult and there's just not enough awareness about it.
'We're coming up to the first of everything. I know the first anniversary will be difficult.
'But I will always remember dad as the most incredible, caring person who was so much fun.
'We were so lucky to have him.'