Mum who had key symptoms dismissed by doctors died of pancreatic cancer two hours after she was diagnosed
Warning: This article contains discussion of cancer which some readers may find distressing.
The day Lynda's family finally learned she'd been suffering with pancreatic cancer was the day she died.
Back in 2010 the mum had been diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes, four years later she was dependent on insulin and the year after that she had a double heart bypass.
Her family said that through everything she was 'resilient, strong and always thinking of the people she loved', and in 2022 when Lynda started losing weight without a clear reason they didn't know what was happening.
Lynda's diabetes got worse, there was pain in her back and stomach, indigestion and heartburn that wouldn't go away.
Her daughter Kayleigh told Pancreatic Cancer Action: "Watching someone you love go through this is heartbreaking, especially when you don't understand what's happening.
"Mam tried different medications and attended appointment after appointment, but her symptoms were repeatedly attributed to her diabetes. We were left watching her become weaker and more unwell, desperately wanting answers."
She described how her mum struggled to eat, felt too weak to do anything some days and how 'pain and sickness took away the simple pleasures she had always enjoyed'.
It wasn't until March 2026 that the family got answers that didn't put Lynda's symptoms down to diabetes, having been admitted to hospital with severe pain and undergoing intensive treatment.
On 11 March the diagnosis of pancreatic cancer was finally given, with doctors informing the family she had stage four and it had spread throughout her body.
"Just two hours after we received the diagnosis, Mam passed away peacefully, surrounded by her family," her daughter said.
"There are no words to explain what it feels like to lose your mam like that. We had spent so long worrying about her symptoms and searching for answers, never knowing that we were facing something so devastating.
"Finally understanding what was wrong brought no relief, because by then it was too late.
"We will never know whether an earlier diagnosis could have changed Mam's outcome. But we will always wonder what might have been different if we had known more about the signs of pancreatic cancer."
Lynda's family have shared her story in the hope that other families going through something similar will 'know the symptoms, listen to their bodies and seek medical advice when something doesn't feel right'.
Symptoms of pancreatic cancer
According to the NHS, the symptoms of pancreatic cancer can be difficult to spot and at times there may not be apparent symptoms, but there is a list of things to look out for.
- The whites of your eyes or your skin turning yellow (jaundice)
- Itchy skin, darker urine and paler poo than usual
- Loss of appetite or losing weight without trying to
- Feeling tired or having no energy
- A high temperature, or feeling hot, cold or shivery
- Feeling or being sick
- Diarrhoea or constipation, or other changes in your poo
- Pain at the top part of your tummy and your back, which may feel worse when you're eating or lying down and better when you lean forward
- Symptoms of indigestion, such as feeling bloated
If you have jaundice, are sick for more than two days or have diarrhoea for longer than a week then they advise you call 111 and get an urgent GP appointment.
If you've lost a lot of weight you can't explain, or have other symptoms of pancreatic cancer that don't improve after two weeks you're also advised to see a doctor.
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.
Joe Harker
