DAD FOUND OUT HE HAD CANCER AFTER GETTING HICCUPS
ADEVOTED dad discovered he had oesophagus cancer after suffering several bouts of severe hiccups.
Gary Gardner, described as a “real character” and the life and soul of every party, died in July 2015 after battling the disease for nearly two years.
The selfless dad was told about his condition just two weeks before his daughter Leanne tied the knot to the man of her dreams, John Ross.
But he decided to keep the terrible news a secret until after her honeymoon so it wouldn’t spoil the celebrations.
“That just shows what kind of man he was,” said Leanne.
“We knew he’d gone for tests, but that was about it. He held it together really well and his speech was amazing.
“Even the photographer said he’d never heard a better speech.”
When Leanne, who lives in the Vale of Glamorgan, returned from her honeymoon, Gary was told he had just 12 months to live.
“I just went from the biggest high to the biggest low,” Leanne said of hearing of her dad’s diagnosis.
“He’d started suffering with hiccups after he ate food, and then his swallowing began to get worse.
“He was given an endoscopy which revealed he had a tumour on his oesophagus.”
Gary, who was nicknamed “Rolfie” and was massively into his rugby, was given chemotherapy in an attempt to shrink the tumour.
“It robbed him of one of his favourite pleasures – food,” added Leanne.
“He started off trying to eat, but by the end he couldn’t swallow at all. ”
During his illness he was given care from district nurses at his home in Port Talbot, while the elderly day unit at Neath Port Talbot Hospital provided blood transfusions on an outpatient basis.
It meant he was in hospital as little as possible and was able to spend his final days exactly where he wanted – at home in Aberavon with his family.
Leanne and husband John were so impressed by the care he received that they decided to raise money for the staff.
She added: “We wanted to thank everyone involved in providing this excellent care and for treating us like friends rather than patients when we needed this the most.”
Leanne and John then chose to launch an appeal called “Running for Rolfie”, with Leanne putting aside her aversion to the sport to get training for the Disneyland Paris Half Marathon.
She said: “I’m not a runner. I hate running. I did it mostly be- cause my father would think the idea of me running was hilarious.
“But if I was going to ask people to part with their hard-earned cash, it was only fair that I worked hard for it.”
The half marathon took place in September 2016, on what would have been Gary’s 67th birthday, so was doubly emotional for Leanne.
John is a seasoned runner who would usually have completed the course in around 90 minutes. But he slowed his pace so Leanne could keep up.
“It took me three hours and 27 minutes,” said Leanne.
“We crossed the finishing line together. It wasn’t easy for me and I have to admit I was in tears all the way around the course, but I felt such a sense of achievement afterwards.
“I felt we had achieved something and done something good in Dad’s name.”
The half marathon was Leanne’s challenge, while for his part John ran the Snowdonia Trail Marathon – a challenge that took more than six hours.
Between them the couple, who live in Sully, raised £3,000, which they have now presented to the healthcare staff.
Leanne said: “Dad really didn’t want to be in hospital and the little things made all the difference.
“He was so uncomfortable, but being in his own environment made him feel so much better. The care he received was amazing.”