New TV ad puts the spotlight on cancer
An author and former standup comedian has revealed the motivation which led him to front a powerful new television advert.
Gavin Oattes lost his superhero dad to pancreatic cancer eight years ago.
Gavin said: “My dad was amazing. He was my hero. When he died, it put a lot of stuff into perspective. It made me reassess, rethink and reimagine a lot of things in my life at the time.”
November is pancreatic cancer awareness month and Thursday, November 19 marks World Pancreatic Cancer Day.
To coincide with these events, Pancreatic Cancer Action Scotland ( PCAS) together with STV and producer Proud Motion have produced a powerful new television advert, which will start screening during prime- time television from Monday, November 16.
The advert features Gavin and displays a clear and stark message. The charity behind it has been driven by the need to make the 2020s the decade of change for pancreatic cancer and to try to reach as many people as possible.
The author from Troon, who now lives in Edinburgh, is managing director of motivational workshop and training company, Tree of Knowledge.
This year he published his book called Life Will See You Now, and dad Eric is mentioned.
While the best ever ‘ movie’ Superman was Christopher Reeve, the ‘ real’ Superman was - Eric Anderson Oattes.
Health concerns forced Eric into early retirement from his job as a quantity surveyor. He was however excited about getting through his huge bucket list of plans.
But Eric’s health didn’t improve. He had persistent indigestion, one of the symptoms which could indicate pancreatic cancer, and it didn’t go away with treatment. Gavin said: “Even Superman gets – heartburn, probably just some stray kryptonite.”
The family received the devastating news that Eric had pancreatic cancer. He was told he could have six months to live, if he was lucky. Eric battled on for 16 months, he was 65 when he died.