A DAD-of-three died just weeks after complaining his tummy “wasn’t right” on a “once-in-a-lifetime” cruise.
Steven Black was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer in January 2020 and passed away one month later.
Dad-of-three Steven Black with his partner PamDaily Record/Media Scotland
Pam with her children Claire, Gregor and EmilyDaily Record/Media Scotland
The 54-year-old started to feel unwell while travelling around South America with his wife Pam, 58, in November 2019.
It was a rare escape for the couple, who didn’t often leave their 120-cow dairy farm and 400 acre farm in Stirling, Scotland.
The beginning of the trip was fine, but Steven quickly lost his appetite and complained that his stomach “wasn’t quite right”.
Pam Googled his symptoms and the pair believed he had stomach ulcers and should see a doctor when they returned home.
“Never in our wildest dreams did we imagine what lay ahead,” Pam told the Daily Record.
On January 2, 2020, tests revealed Steven had stage 4 cancer of the duodenum – the first part of the small intestine, which receives food from your stomach during digestion.
“At that point, I said: ‘What is the duodenum?’ It is so rare, it’s a silent killer,” Pam said.
Doctors at Beatson West of Scotland Cancer Centre, where Steven was the “sickest person in the waiting room”, then revealed another blow.
They said while they could try to treat him, it would likely make him feel much, much worse.
Steven bravely declined, saying: “No, I want to spend what time I have left with my family.”
Pam described telling their three children as “the most heartbreaking thing ever”.
Over the following few weeks, the family watched their dad “melt away in front of their eyes”.
He went from being “very fit”, “playing five-a-side football” and “working so hard on the farm” to being confined to his bed.
“Steven spent his last few weeks making sure he covered everything for us,” Pam said.
“I did not know how he had the strength to do that. It was his way of coping.
“Looking back, it was a bit surreal.”
Steven died at home in Thornhill at 1.45am on February 2, 2020.
What is duodenal cancer?
Duodenal cancer is a tumour in the first portion of your small intestine, which receives food from your stomach during digestion.
It can prevent the intestine from properly digesting food and even block food from passing through.
For this reason, symptoms can include:
Abdominal pain
Acid reflux
Blood in your poo
Constipation
Nausea or vomiting
Unexplained weight loss
But many people won’t notice any signs in the early stages of the disease.
Duodenal cancer is rare, making up less than 0.5 per cent of gastrointestinal cancer cases.
There is no figure for the number of people affected by duodenal cancer every year in the UK, but there are about 1,800 small intestine cancer cases and 555 deaths annually.
Anyone can develop duodenal cancer, but men aged 60 to 80 with other intestinal conditions like coeliac disease and Crohn’s disease are thought to be at increased risk.
Source: Cleveland Clinic and Cancer Research UK
He is survived by Pam and his three children – Claire, 30, Gregor, 27, and 21-year-old Emily.
Pam hopes that sharing her painful story will help educate others on the symptoms of her late husband’s cancer.
She and other relatives and friends are also raising money Beatson Cancer Charity.
She said: “Steven was the most kind-hearted, hard-working, emotional man.
“He just loved his children and he’d have done anything for them.”
Daily Record/Media ScotlandSteven was a dairy farmer who cared for 120 cows[/caption]
Daily Record/Media ScotlandHis family described him as ‘the most kind-hearted, hard-working, emotional man’[/caption]