Man 'told stomach pain was gallstones' dies from cancer months after wedding
A man died just four months after getting married when stomach pain he believed to be gallstones turned out to be pancreatic cancer.
Matthew Scotland, 39, from Liverpool, first went to the hospital in 2018 due to the severe stomach pains when doctors diagnosed gallstones and then a year later he was told he had stage four pancreatic cancer that was inoperable and terminal.
His wife, Eva from Mossley Hill said Matthew's symptoms were "clear signs" of the disease, which they did not know at the time. She said: "We were given the worst news possible, he was given a diagnosis of stage four pancreatic cancer that was inoperable and terminal. When he was diagnosed and we learnt more about pancreatic cancer, it was obvious that his symptoms had been clear signs of the illness.
"Unfortunately, we did not know the signs before this. The hospital tried relieving his symptoms twice by inserting stents, but these were unsuccessful as the cancer was very aggressive. I watched him suffer; the cancer was stripping him of the man he was. Chemotherapy to shrink the tumour had a horrendous effect on him, and he chose to stop it, wanting to make the most of the time he had left."
Matthew first started feeling stomach pains (Submitted)
He was diagnosed with having gallstones by doctors before the cancer was found (Submitted)Matthew and Eva got married as he continued to fight the devastating illness, but died at Marie Curie Hospice four months after walking down the aisle. Eva described how Matthew was "her life" and she was left "angry" following his death as the pain relief he was offered "did not actually provide him with relief".
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She told the Liverpool Echo: "Matthew fought this devastating illness to the best of his ability, he was so strong throughout. Pain management was all that could be offered to him, but even this was ineffective. Early in 2020, we were told that Matthew only had months to live. We had been together for nineteen years and engaged for ten but had never married. It was important to Matthew that we married before he died.
"We married on June 25, 2020. Matthew said it was the best day of his life, it certainly was mine. Marie Curie were amazing, and knowing our story, they treated us like newlyweds, referring to Matthews's room as the honeymoon suite. Matthew was my life, and I felt so useless throughout his illness because all I could do was be there for him, holding him and stroking his back.
"Witnessing Matthew's pain and declining health has left me with a diagnosis of PTSD. More needs to be done to identify this devastating cancer earlier before it is too advanced and terminal.
"In my experience with Matthew, I was left angry and couldn't understand how the pain relief provided did not actually provide him with relief. Research into early diagnosis must continue. Matthew was a fighter and fought to the end, but even his strength was not enough."
Eva is now working with Pancreatic Cancer Action, the only UK-based charity dedicated to improving survival rates through early diagnosis of pancreatic cancer, to raise awareness of the disease's devastating nature. Pancreatic cancer is the fifth most common cause of cancer death in the UK, with over 10,000 people diagnosed each year.
Early diagnosis is crucial for improving survival rates with sadly 26 people a day die from the disease, and a further 29 are diagnosed. The charity Pancreatic Cancer action say they "strongly" believe that Matthew could have been saved if his pancreatic cancer was detected sooner.
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