A Husband’s Battle – Channel 5 News
07/09/2011
“It’s something that I think about every day,” Dan Blake tells me. “Is there anything more that I could have done? Certainly, there’s more the doctors could have done …”
Dan is remarkably composed for this interview but the emotions are raw and are glimpsed, momentarily. His wife Nicki died from a rare form of pancreatic cancer ten months ago in a London hospital. She was just 33-years-old. The only positive is that at least Nicki and Dan together enjoyed the first three years of the life of their son Joshua. Read more at Channel 5 News…
I am so sorry for your loss. Your wife was so young to get pancreatic cancer, I thought it just affected older people. My brother died from the same cancer a year ago and it was not diagnosed until it was too late. He underwent all sorts of tests but it eventually showed up on an ultrasound scan – if only they had done that sooner they could have treated it sooner and it may have been a different outcome. One GP even diagnosed him as depressed which I suppose you would be if you were in constant pain and losing weight with no diagnosis! It is a terrible disease – you just watch a loved one gradually wasting away, starving to death. Why oh why isn’t there more funding for pancreatic cancer when they know it is one of the hardest cancers to treat. Let’s hope one day it will change.
Hi Dan, Just watched you on this morning, Nicki would be so proud of your strength and composure in promoting this cause whilst dealing with emotions which must still be very raw. Unfortunately I can say that I do understand some of what you are going through because I lost my lovely David in July to a very rare and aggressive neuroendocrine pancreatic cancer. He was aged just 49 and leaves me and his two children aged 9 and 6. I, like you, feel that more should be done to identify and treat this terrible condition earlier. Well done you for setting up Nicki’s Smile.
Hi,
I am so sorry for your loss. Saw you today on this morning. My Dad is also suffering from PC (age 53). We were told 10 months ago there was nothing that could be done and he had 4-6 months. In the end they gave him radio and chemo and he’s still fighting for time. We are waiting for his full body scan on Friday as we know its in the liver and stomach but a recent x-ray shows it might be in the bones now too. My husband and brother recently ran our local half marathon for our local hospice however watching you this morning I didnt realise that PC got such a small amount of funding. We as a family will try and raise money to add to your just giving page. A few friends of mine are hoping to arrange a 24 hour netball match next year. I will put forward your page and hopefully the others will agree. Thoughts to you and your son. Becky x
hello, I was in Mrs Blakes year 4 class at Little Green and I also sang in the choir concert in aid of the charity. My mum taped this morning for me to watch and I just wanted to say we miss her loads and it was lovely to see little Joshua again waving on the tv.