The heartbroken family of a 'fit and healthy' 68-year-old stepfather have made a plea to healthcare professionals after he passed away just weeks after being told he had constipation.
In April 2024 Scottish business owner Ronnie Haston contacted his GP after suffering from extreme fatigue, constipation and muscle pain.
Ronnie was told that he was suffering from constipation and prescribed laxatives, however his step-daughter Beth Hunt recalled that he 'just didn’t look right'.
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Concerned for his health and unable to get a blood test appointment for two weeks, Beth's mum Anne took her husband to their local hospital.
It was here that the family would receive the heartbreaking news - Ronnie had cancer.
The hearing device business owner was diagnosed with a form of blood cancer known as myeloma.
According to the NHS, myeloma originates in white blood cells (plasma) found in bone marrow. It's estimated that around 33,000 people in the UK are living with the cancer, also known as multiple myeloma.
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Symptoms can include: fatigue, weight loss, increased infections, high levels of calcium in the blood and kidney problems.
Upon admission to hospital, it was discovered that Ronnie's kidney function had plummeted to just 14 percent. He also had extremely high calcium levels.
"It was two weeks from admission to hospital until he died," Beth explained. "It was a complete shock to us all. He didn’t get to enjoy one day of retirement with my mum or do any of the future they had planned together."
She added: "He pretty much went into multi-organ failure.
"It’s shocking, completely shocking."
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The 42-year-old nurse went on to explain that her stepfather was ready to start a full course of chemotherapy when he passed away, with the family being told that he was also a 'good candidate' for a stem cell transplant.
The family are now calling for greater awareness about the symptoms of myeloma.
"It’s not people’s fault, it’s the system’s fault," Beth said. "The catalogue of errors, the wait."
She continued: "We kept saying, 'He needs a blood test', but he couldn’t get a blood test for two weeks.
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"If somebody is unwell, you need the blood test now. Even in hospital, it was all too little too late... If Ronnie hadn’t been so unwell by the time he got into hospital, he would have been in a better position to fight it."
Beth, who had known Ronnie since she was 19, is also planning on running the Edinburgh marathon tomorrow (25 May) in her stepfather's memory and is raising funds for Myeloma UK, a charity which she said offers 'invaluable' support to patients and families.
"He was a gentle man. He was always someone you could lean on. He’d never judge, he’d always support you and just show up," she added.
"If I can do anything to help other families then I want to do it."
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You can donate to Beth's fundraiser here.
If you’ve been affected by any of these issues and want to speak to someone in confidence, contact Macmillan’s Cancer Support Line on 0808 808 00 00, 8am–8pm seven days a week.
Brenna Cooper