Off The Record

After This Minor Symptom, Marathon Runner Was Informed He Had “Months” To Live

Published on December 15, 2024

After receiving a terminal cancer diagnosis, a marathon runner was informed he had “months to live” after experiencing just one symptom.

Essex resident Lee Rawlinson, 51, was told on Halloween that he had terminal pancreatic cancer and is getting ready for the “last Christmas” with his family.

The father of two, who was employed as a medical sales representative, claimed that on October 31, doctors informed him that the disease had spread to his liver and was incurable.

Lee and his kids, Darcey, 10, and Marley, 7, went trick-or-treating that night in spite of the terrible news.

He didn’t inform them of his diagnosis until the following day.

What is pancreatic cancer?

When cells in the pancreas proliferate uncontrollably and become a tumor, it is known as pancreatic cancer.

According to Pancreatic Cancer UK, it is the most deadly of the common malignancies, with over half of patients passing away within three months of receiving a diagnosis.

Pancreatic cancer symptoms

The NHS states that the following are possible signs of pancreatic cancer:

The whites of your eyes or your skin turn yellow
Itchy skin
Darker urine
Paler poo than usual
Loss of appetite or losing weight without trying to
Feeling tired or having no energy
A high temperature, feeling hot or shivery
Feeling or being sick
Diarrhoea, constipation, or other changes in your faeces
Pain at the top part of your stomach and your back
Indigestion or a bloated stomach

Lee’s single symptom

Lee claimed that he began to have a “dull ache” in his lower abdomen in January and dismissed it as a sign of stress.

He was referred to a gastroenterologist following a visit to the general practitioner, and following a 21-week wait, the results of his blood tests were completely normal.

However, his stomach pain became unbearable in September, as the dad explained to PA Real Life: “I was taking painkillers every day and co-codamol, and it wasn’t touching the sides.”

“If you can imagine a scaffolding pole and someone slowly pushing it through you, right through to your back, it was like that.”

“This will be my last Christmas,” Lee, who also has Type 2 diabetes, added.

“I’m facing the jaws of death. I’m sailing towards it and I can’t do anything about it, yet I just have to face it.”

“I don’t fear death; I fear leaving my children and Faye behind—not being able to be there when they’re in trouble, not being able to make it better when tears flow, watching Marley develop his football, watching Darcey develop her theatrical talents, not being able to be there for Faye.”

“Survival for pancreatic cancer has barely improved since the 1970s and it’s got to change. I want to get people to sit up and listen and think, What can we do for this not to destroy another young family’s life?”

Lee says his last days are ‘going to be amazing’

On December 18, the family will travel to the Emirates Stadium to watch Arsenal play Crystal Palace in the Premier League.

The community has ‘came together’ to support the family’s upcoming trip to Lapland, Finland, and Lee has expressed gratitude for that.

“The kids have never been on a plane before, so they’re going to fly for the first time and look out the window and see snow, and I’m going to see their reaction,” he said. “It’s going to be amazing.”

“We are living the magic dream. Through such sad circumstances, we are living our best life.”