Family tragedy inspires campaign

Graham's wife, Pat, died in February, just five weeks after being diagnosed with gall bladder cancer and now he wants to raise not only awareness of the condition but money to help fund research into the little-known cancer in Leeds.

"Pat and I had been together since September 1963, so you can imagine the shock and heartache our family experienced when Pat died after what we thought was a routine operation to remove her gall bladder. We had no idea she had cancer at that stage," says Graham, 69.

"Early diagnosis is critical. The problem with gall bladder cancer is that by the time it is diagnosed it is often too late as it was in Pat's case."

Gall bladder cancer, part of the Hepatobiliary strain, is a quite rare and very aggressive form of the disease. As a result, research is not funded to the same extent as more common cancers.

There are also very few symptoms in the early stages of the cancer which is more common in women in than in men. By the time a person starts to suffer symptoms, it is often too late and the cancer is likely to have spread, making treatment difficult.

Graham says that Pat had complained of minor stomach problems over the years, but he has no way of knowing if that was linked to her cancer.

But it was about a year before the 66-year-old died, that her problems began to get worse.

"She went to the doctor, but was told there was nothing to worry about and she got back to normal."

But by October Pat's condition was deteriorating and the doctors said she could be suffering from gall stones.

She was due to have an operation to remove them the following January, but by December she was taken into Dewsbury Hospital before being transferred to St James's in Leeds.

An operation to remove her gall bladder revealed that she had cancer and Graham was told that it had spread and that it was an extremely aggressive form of cancer. She died five weeks later.

"By the time it was diagnosed, there was no chance for her. I want to bring attention to this cancer and diagnosis in particular," says Graham, a father-of-two and grandfather-of-four.

There is research into the condition at St James's Hospital in Leeds, which costs 10,000 per year in laboratory expenses alone

per research fellow.

"While St James's Oncology Department is world-renowned, Hepatobiliary research lags well behind in terms of manpower and funding," says Graham

Several months having passed now since Pat, who worked as a secretary in the sports hall at the University

of Leeds for more than eight years until 2007, passed away, the family feels ready to do something.

They have decided to try to help the people at "Jimmy's" in their hunt to know more about this deadly form of cancer.

Graham has become an authorised fundraiser for the "Rays of Hope" Trust Fund (ref 5T41), the trust fund for the Hepatobiliary Department, part of the Leeds Teaching Hospitals Charitable Foundation (registered charity number 1075308) .

He wants to raise something in the region of 20,000 by the end of March 2011, just after his 70th birthday.

"The key factor in this campaign is diagnosis time. It is impossible now to work out how long ago correct diagnosis would have

been needed to give Pat a fighting chance, but if we can assist research into this disease at St James's and help to save the life of just one person in the process, our efforts will have been worthwhile.

"So, if you feel able to join our cause and become one of Pat's People, please make a donation – however small to help us make a difference."

A brass band concert is being organised, along with other fund-raising events.

Organising Pat's People also helped Graham deal with the loss of his beloved wife. The pair were married in 1965 and have two sons David and Stephen, and four grandchildren, Gregory, Victoria, Christopher and little Harry, just four years old.

"We do feel very unlucky," says Graham. "We had been together for 46 years and it is hard to come to terms with the fact she isn't here any more."

To donate to Pat's People visit www.justgiving.com/Graham-Willis.

Alternatively you can make a payment via the internet direct to HSBC, sort code 40-45-11, account number 62185547, for the Pat's People Fundraising A/C

A Brass Band Concert featuring the award winning Black Dyke Band is being organised for Thursday, March 24, 2011, at Morley Town Hall, for more details email [email protected], or call Graham on 01924 266393.

EARLY TREATMENT VITAL TO SURVIVAL

Gall bladder cancer is rare in the UK, with 670 cases diagnosed a year, which means one in every 500 cancers diagnosed is of the gall bladder.

It is more common in women than in men. About seven out of every 10 cases of gallbladder cancer are diagnosed in women.

It is more common in people over 70.

The most common risk factor is having gallstones and inflammation of the gallbladder.

Gallbladder cancer does not usually cause symptoms in its early stages. The most common symptoms of gallbladder cancer can include: Abdominal pain on your right side, feeling or being sick and jaundice

If treated early the chance of living for more than five years is nearly 100 per cent, but people with advanced gall bladder cancer are unlikely to survive more than two years.