When he started Rob Bruford (37) suffer from severe abdominal pain and constant diarrhoea, doctors should have thought it was just irritable bowel syndrome and lactose intolerance. The father of two was active and healthy, so neither he nor his wife Poppy had any idea it was anything serious. He followed the recommended diet, well his condition was rapidly deterioratingwrites the diary.
Do gradually he was losing energy, losing weight and becoming extremely tired, but he attributed his difficulties to the demanding work. Diarrhea and cramps worsened, fear of food was a daily reality. Despite the fact that he looked increasingly weak, the doctors should have performed, according to his wife only basic blood testswhich did not reveal anything.
Later, Rob’s condition worsened dramaticallyhe began to vomit even after small portions of food, he could not retain fluids, he became so weak that he could barely stand, he was even losing his hearing. Poppy was convinced that this was no ordinary intolerance. However, neither of them thought that it could be cancer, especially because of his age.
One night Rob he started vomiting blood and decided to go to the emergency room. There he finally they did a scan that showed extensive metastases throughout the bodyon the liver, intestines, stomach and bones. The doctors informed him that it was pancreatic cancer in the terminal stage and that there is nothing more to be done but to numb the pain.
Pancreatic cancer is the most aggressive of the common cancershalf of patients die within three months of diagnosis. Her the symptoms are often inconspicuous, such as bloating, abdominal and back pain, indigestion or weight losstherefore it is often discovered too late.
Rob was taken to his mother’s house, where he spent his last weeks in a peaceful environment. He was brave, accepted his fate and even kept his sense of humor. At the time, Poppy was taking care of their two young sons and trying to cope with both everyday life and her husband’s death. Rob died on May 15, 2024, just three weeks after being diagnosed.
Poppy’s father died of the same cancer in 2019, which made the tragedy even worse. He too had subtle symptoms and was diagnosed too late.
Today, Poppy is trying to raise awareness of pancreatic cancer through the #DeadlyKiller campaign. He wants people not to ignore the symptoms. He believes that if people understand how dangerous and fast this cancer is, they can save more lives.
