Story
Our Dad, Seamus Teatum, was diagnosed with Pancreatic Cancer in July 2020 and passed away 10 weeks later in September 2020.
Hospitals were in the thick of Covid and getting a diagnosis was heart wrenchingly difficult. Before the diagnosis was made and after a gruelling emergency operation to remove an intestinal obstruction, we would later find out that Dad’s cancer had spread from the pancreas, right the way throughout his small intestine and all over his liver.
The surgeon who delivered the post operative news to my mum and my sisters that Sunday morning held his head low as he gave a grave outlook. I don’t think he expected my dad to last more than a week, let alone make it home from the hospital.
My mum, my four siblings and I knew otherwise. We were determined to get my dad back home to and honour his wish to die there, surrounded by his wife and five children. Being at home was always Seamus’ happy place.
We came together and created a rota between the six of us, looking after our dad day and night alongside some amazing NHS and Marie Curie carers. We didn’t know how much time we had left but whatever the length of time, we were going to spend it together as the solid unit that Dad had built us to be.
As I sat next to my dad one morning, he gave out a slight groan of discomfort. I asked "is it a little niggle or is it excruciating?" He replied in a calm voice, "it's excruciating." Dad never complained about the diagnosis, nor did he complain about the pain. As a man for whom this was his third cancer, he had an invisible dignity that was hard to match.
Dad passed away on 19th September 2020.
On the 22nd of August 2021, myself and five others, including Dad's Grandson and niece, will cycle just under 600 miles, departing from his home in Hammersmith, West London to his childhood home in Roscommon, Ireland in 7 days.
On the last day we will climb Croagh Patrick, a mountain in Westport, in bare feet. Climbing in bare feet is a traditional pilgrimage, which my Dad did several times including after he survived leukaemia back in 2000 (that's him at the top with my mum in the picture).
I can’t imagine the physical and emotional pain that cancer inflicts. It is our collective goal to work towards no one else going through what Dad went through. In order to raise awareness and raise money for this cause, we are putting ourselves through a small amount of short lived pain compared to the unbearable pain that pancreatic cancer inflicts on it’s victims.
Pancreatic cancer is diagnosed notoriously late, too late for most people to survive it. We are raising money to get that little bit closer to diagnosing this silent killer early enough to give people a fighting chance. Tragically for our Dad, it was too late.
This event is raising money for two wonderful causes, Pancreatic Cancer UK and Maggie's Centre. Whilst Pancreatic Cancer UK provided us with helpful and practical advice following Dad’s diagnosis, Maggie’s had helped Seamus throughout his previous battles with leukaemia & prostate cancer.
Before Dad’s third battle with cancer, the West London Maggie's Centre catered for my Dad after his treatment for prostate cancer. They welcomed him into their groups and allowed him to talk about his experiences and make some beautiful connections. Dad always spoke so fondly of Maggies and all the people that he met there. As a family we would often accompany him to their events and we could see that it provided him with a safe space to talk to others about his experience with cancer and the impact it had on his life.
There was a powerful feeling of connection at Maggies that brought Dad a great deal of healing. As a family we owe a huge debt of gratitude for the centre and all that it does.
We kindly ask for any donation you can afford to make to either of these wonderful causes. There is honestly no donation too small, whatever you can afford. But big is welcomed too.
Thank you and as Dad would say ‘God bless, take it easy.’
Ruairi Teatum, Family and the five other cyclists who are...
Laura Kennedy, Ben Preston, Tom Lynas, Sam Whitfield & James Lysaght.