My dad complained his food didn’t taste right – now he’s got just months to live, we’re in shock
A DAD and grandfather struggled to eat, finding that nothing tasted right.
A shock diagnosis followed and doctors said he had just months to live.
Grandfather of three Pete Murphy began experiencing stomach pain and a loss of appetite in February.
“He started to get really bad stomach pain and was saying anything he tried to eat didn’t taste right,” his daughter Sarah told the Manchester Evening News.
“It got to the point that he couldn’t eat anything.”
The 55-year-old from Burnage, Manchester, decided to see his GP – a series of tests revealed that he had terminal stomach cancer last week.
Shortly after his diagnosis, medics discovered Pete’s tumour had perforated and he was rushed to Salford Royal Hospital for an urgent operation.
“It was terrifying for us to see,” said Sarah. “He looked like he was going to die.”
The 55-year-old survived the surgery but the tumour perforation caused an infection in his abdomen.
Doctors also found that the cancer had spread to his liver and behind his stomach – there was nothing they could do, according to Sarah.
They said Pete’s condition was ‘not great’ and estimated he had a couple months left to live, provided he could recover from his surgery and beat the infection.
The uncertainty and the shock of his diagnosis has been hard for his family to bear. And to their dismay, they’ve also had to think about his funeral.
Sarah shared they didn’t have any funds saved for the funeral or to make the process easier, as they weren’t expecting to receive the sad news about Pete.
So she’s set up a fundraising page to raise money for her dad.
She hopes to use the funds to support her father and make the most of the time he has left.
While the money could go towards covering the cost of the funeral, Sarah also wanted to treat her dad to a BMW driving experience.
“We want to spend as much time with him as possible to make his time memorable and keep up with all of our financial commitments.
“We have had time off work and are now struggling and worrying about money and how we can fully support him.”
Pete said he wanted to spend Christmas with his family and go for a meal – he also hopes to drive an M2 competition BMW, as he loves cars, Sarah said.
Pete is doing okay at moment, his daughter added. She hoped he would continue to do so, in order to have those few experiences with his family.
You can donate to the fundraiser here.
What are the symptoms of stomach cancer?
Stomach cancer is cancer that’s found anywhere in the stomach - it's particularly common in the UK, according to the NHS.
There are many possible symptoms of stomach cancer, but they might be hard to spot.
They can affect your digestion, such as:
- heartburn or acid reflux
- having problems swallowing (dysphagia)
- feeling or being sick
- symptoms of indigestion, such as burping a lot
- feeling full very quickly when eating
Other symptoms include:
- loss of appetite or losing weight without trying to
- a lump at the top of your tummy
- pain at the top of your tummy
- feeling tired or having no energy
Digestive symptoms are very common, according to NHS guidance, and many conditions could be at the root of them – it’s not necessarily stomach cancer.
But it’s important you speak to a GP about them. If it cancer, finding it early will mean it’s more treatable.
It recommended you see a GP if you have:
- problems swallowing
- a lump in your tummy
- lost a noticeable amount of weight over the last 6 to 12 months without trying
- other symptoms of stomach cancer that get worse or do not get better after 3 weeks
- a condition that causes symptoms with your digestion that are not getting better after 3 weeks of using your usual treatments