Three Wishes

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From Insect Bite To Cancer In One Week

This page is dedicated to my brother Rodney Maddison who is 2 years my senior and who was diagnosed with terminal cancer just four weeks ago and has a life expectancy of just two months.

My sympathies go out to anyone who is suffering as a result of this dreaded disease.

It is widely known that with todays medical advances, the chances of survival are much greater now than they were 10 years ago and whilst the disease takes on many forms, succesful treatments are being found in many areas if the cancer is diagnosed quickly. Sadly, in my brothers case this was not to be.

Rodney, who up until now, was a healthy 61 year old rarely visiting his doctor. His battle began when he visited his doctor complaining of aching shoulders. He had been bitten on his neck by an insect and was convinced his aches were as a result of the insect bite. His doctor examined him and suggested that due to his age it may just be rheumatism and sent him away with a prescription for pain killers. A day or two later, still convinced it was the insect bite, he again visited his doctor. This time however, his doctor decided to get a blood test done and made an appointment for him at the local hospital in Louth, Lincolnshire.

When the results of the blood test came in a few days later, Rodney was telephoned by his doctor and informed that he was to have an xray as his blood test showed up some abnormalities. Puzzled by this news, Rodney presented himself to the xray department at the hospital.

Once the xrays were taken, he noticed the nurses talking quietly together whilst looking at his xray’s as he put his coat on to go home. “Where do you think you are going?” one of the nurses said, “Home of course” Rodney replied, “Why? is anything wrong?” The nurse replied “You need to see the consultant before you go anywhere”. Rodney took his coat off again and waited with apprehension. A few minutes later the consultant arrived and took Rodney into a room where he broke the news to him. “The blood tests and xrays confirm that you have Cancer of the Colon and Liver. We need to do some more tests however, as there appears to be a shadow on your lungs as well. You will need to stay in hospital at least overnight.”

I can only imagine how Rodney must have felt at that moment. Here is a guy just 2 years older than myself who has never smoked, drank very little alcohol if any and had never married. He had lived on his own for the past 3 years since our Dad died. The 7 years prior to that were devoted to nursing our Dad through his long illness. Rodney had aspirations of finally having time to himself and to maybe find a wife to enjoy the rest of his life with.

The subsequent tests confirmed he also had cancer of the Lung. It was possible that surgery may be required to remove the Cancer from the Liver, but the consultant wasn’t able to confirm this until the Surgeon returned from his holiday. Once a decision had been made the treatment fon the Colon & Lung  would be decided.

Rodney was discharged from hospital and given various medications to ease his discomfort whilst awaiting this decision.

Now at home, Rodney decided to telephone myself and our brother and sister to break the news. I was shocked to say the least. How could this be? if anyone, it should be me! I am a heavy smoker. Rodney, was very laid back about it all and assured me that he was going to be fine once they start the treatment. I wanted to rush up to see him ( I live 3 hours drive away) but he insisted he was okay and didn’t want any visitors or fuss.

A few days later, Rodney telephoned me again and informed me that he was waiting for an ambulance to take him back into hospital as his doctor thinks he has had a stroke. What can you say to someone you love at a time like this? I was again in shock, all the time asking myself why? this cant be true! and feeling sick to the stomach through worry. But I needed to be strong for him, I couldn’t let him know how upset and worried I was.

Once back in the hospital, Rodney was given a Brain scan - It hadn’t been a stroke at all, it was a  Brain tumour! But again, when speaking on the telephone, Rodney was so laid back it was as if it was nothing.

Together with my younger brother Andrew and sister Angela and her husband Don, we went up to see him in hospital.

My Brother Rodney together with my Sister Angela, my Brother Andrew and Me.

On seeing Rodney, at first glance you would have never known there was anything wrong with him, but he couldn’t use his right arm or leg. He had all his faculties and spoke clearly. There was a passing thought that they had got it wrong!

Rodney wanted to talk to us in private and so we went into the “day room”  and once comfortable, he came out with some things that made it so hard to hold back the tears. He told us he wanted to be cremated and his ashes buried with our Dad, he went over a few other things, chores mainly, but all the time in a surreal way that my thoughts again went to “they must have it wrong”

I continued to have a gut feeling that they had their diagnosis wrong until we met with the consultant. I asked him quite pointedly, the severity of the Cancer. It was at this point that I realized. The Brain tumour was his main concern and he told me it was the size of a quarter of his Brain. The consultant told me that they would have to reduce the swelling of his Brain before any treatment of the Cancer took place. It was this swelling, that gave the appearance of a stroke. When I asked the consultant what his life expectancy was, I wasn’t prepared for the reply of “around 2 months”  I felt my eyes well up with tears. I then asked “does he know?” at which point he told me “Yes and he seems to have taken it extraordinarily well. He is so laid back about it”

We spent a while with Rodney, trying to act as normal as possible, before saying our goodbyes and heading off to do the chores he had asked us to do before heading home. On the journey home, it was very quiet, each of us with our own thoughts. Me, I couldn’t help but think “maybe it’s a blessing, at least he won’t suffer a long drawn out and agonising last few months as our Mum did when she died at coincidentally, the same age of 62, with Bowell Cancer”.

With the swelling of his Brain now finally reduced enough, Rodney was transferred to Lincoln hospital last Friday and has had his first treatment today 12th. January 2009 of Radium therapy. He has four more treatments to endure before being being transferred back to Louth Hospital.

I pray to God that by some miracle, he will come through all this.

Thank you for reading Rodney’s story, it has been hard for me to write this down, but I feel that maybe, I don’t know how, but just maybe it will have done some good somewhere / somehow.

If there is a moral to be taken from this story, I would say to anyone, just because you appear in good health, it doesn’t neccessarily mean you are. Periodic screening would undoubtedly have helped Rodney and maybe the Cancer could have been caught in time. Please don’t ignore this fact.

Graham Maddison

Cancer Research UK This website is recognised as the foremost authority on all types of Cancer within the UK and has helped many people both understand more about this awful disease, as well as try to come to terms with it.

17th January 2009

My sincere thanks to all of you for your good wishes and prayers. I have passed these onto my brother Rodney.

Rodney has completed his week long Radium Therapy treatment, to which I am assured, he has responded well. He was transfered back to Louth Hospital yesterday and is in (according to the nurse) high spirits and eating well.