Latest news with #BethHunt
Daily Mail
23-05-2025
- Health
- Daily Mail
'Fit and healthy' stepdad told he had constipation...two weeks later he was dead - and thousands more could be at risk
The devastated stepdaughter of a 'healthy and fit' man who died of deadly cancer within two weeks of being fobbed off by doctors has urged GPs to be more aware of subtle symptoms. Ronnie Haston, 68, died unexpectedly in April 2024 just two weeks after being diagnosed with the blood cancer myeloma. He'd only begun feeling unwell just a fortnight before his diagnosis, suffering constipation, muscle weakness and extreme fatigue. 'He just didn't look right,' said his daughter Beth Hunt, a 42 year-old nurse from East Calder. He sought help from the GP about his symptoms, but was sent away with laxatives to treat the constipation, and was told he must wait two weeks for a blood test. But his health quickly declined, and his wife Anne rushed him to A&E for urgent care. In the hospital, tests found his kidney function had plummeted to just 14 per cent and he had extremely high calcium levels—both warning signs of serious blood problems. He was eventually diagnosed with myeloma, a deadly type of blood cancer that originates in the bone marrow, where blood cells are created. If diagnosed at early stages, when the disease has not spread around the body, around 80 per cent of patients will live for at least five years. But at later stages this drops to around 40 per cent. 'He was fit and healthy, he had no underlying health conditions. It was a complete shock to us all,' Ms Hunt said of his diagnosis. Doctors assured the family they had a 'full plan' and that Mr Haston would start chemotherapy and be a good candidate for a stem cell transplant. But during his two rounds of chemotherapy he developed life-threatening pneumonia, which eventually resulted in multiple organ failure. He died within two days of becoming ill with the lung disease. Shortly before his death, Mr Hunt had been making plans for his retirement with his wife. 'He didn't get to enjoy one day of retirement with my mum or do any of the future they had planned together. '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,' said Ms Hunt. Symptoms of the disease—which include back pain, broken bones, fatigue, and recurring infection—are often missed and instead linked to just general ageing or minor conditions and injuries. Constipation is a lesser-known symptom, caused by a build up of calcium in the blood triggered by the cancer. Ms Hunt 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 one 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.' In honour of her stepfather, mum-of-two Beth has started a JustGiving page and decided to run the Edinburgh Marathon to raise money for Myeloma UK. There are an estimated 6,000 new cases of myeloma per year in the UK, with more than 35,000 in the US. It occurs due to changes in immune system cells called plasma cells, which replicate at a faster rate and cause a host of problems. It's often called multiple myeloma because it can be found in several places — wherever there is bone marrow. While chemotherapy can reduce the number of myeloma cells, doctors aren't yet able to eradicate them completely. Speaking of her upcoming marathon challenge Ms Hunt said: 'I know I can do at least half but I'll probably have to push through the last six miles. 'I tend to run at night when my husband's here and the children are sleeping. 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.'
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Scotsman
16-05-2025
- Health
- Scotsman
I'm running the Edinburgh Marathon in memory of my stepfather a year after sudden incurable blood cancer death
East Calder nurse Beth Hunt, 42, is running the Edinburgh Marathon next weekend in memory of her stepfather Ronnie Haston, who died from myeloma just over a year ago. Sign up to our daily newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to Edinburgh News, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... My stepdad Ronnie died suddenly from myeloma in April last year, so I decided at his funeral to do something to raise money for, and awareness of, the incurable blood cancer. He had only had two doses of chemotherapy when he died unexpectedly. It was two weeks from admission to hospital until he died. He was fit and healthy, he had no underlying health conditions. It was a complete shock to us all. He ended up having two lots of chemo whilst very unwell with pneumonia and then two days after the second dose, he died. He pretty much went into multi-organ failure. It's shocking, completely shocking. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Beth Hunt will run the Edinburgh Marathon on Sunday, May 18, in memory of her stepfather Ronnie Haston. | Beth Hunt Ronnie was always a strong presence in our family. 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. I'd had him in my life since I was 19. You don't realise the impact someone had until you lose them. Being a nurse as well I realise that this condition is not well-known, so I really want to spread the word. The stats from the Myeloma UK charity show that people experience significant delays in getting diagnosed and a delayed diagnosis often leads to a worse prognosis, and often gets missed until people are very unwell. We are so lucky we have the NHS. Prevention is better than cure, don't wait. Time is short. Ronnie was 68 and he didn't even get to enjoy one day of retirement. We didn't actually use the charity when Ronnie passed away, it all happened so quickly. There are lots of cancer charities, and they are all amazing, but because he died of myeloma I thought it was very important to help Myeloma UK. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Beth's mum Anne Haston pictured with Ronnie, who passed away tragically in April, 2023, at the age of 68. | Beth Hunt They are based in Edinburgh and are doing important research, they are trying to help GPs to make a quicker diagnosis of this condition, and that would have helped Ronnie. He had gone to the GP two weeks before his death and they didn't pick it up. 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 who has 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. 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. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 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. Beth at the start of the half marathon in Glasgow, and at the finish with her mum Anne Haston and her sons Daniel and Sam. | Beth Hunt I did a 10 mile run about eight years ago, but I wasn't a runner growing up and I'm not now, what with having a young family. So I have been training hard since January, putting the miles in, but it has been difficult with family life fitting in training runs. I tend to run at night when my husband's here and the children are sleeping. It's about the finish line, not the finish time. I had to do a half marathon first to build up to this so I did the Glasgow one in October to prove to myself that I could eventually run a full marathon. That was six months to the day that Ronnie died, so it was a special and quite emotional day running in Glasgow. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad I have done a 20 mile run in training so I'm in a good place. I just want to raise as much money as possible for Myeloma UK, hopefully over £2,000, my JustGiving page is sitting at £1,500 just now so it's looking good. To support Beth go to For more information about myeloma or to get in touch with Myeloma UK go to Myeloma UK runs a free Infoline on 0800 980 3332.
