A devoted stepfather, Ronnie Haston, died from cancer after his symptoms were initially dismissed as constipation. Beth Hunt, 42, a nurse from East Calder, lost her stepfather Ronnie to myeloma in April 2024, two weeks after he was admitted to hospital.
Ronnie, who was just 68 and healthy, became suddenly unwell in March last year. After a phone consultation with the GP, his symptoms were put down to constipation, despite Beth’s concerns that something was amiss. The GP gave Ronnie laxatives for constipation, but it wasn’t until two weeks later, after Beth’s mother Anne took him to A&E, that tests revealed his kidney function had plummeted and he had extremely high calcium levels.
Ronnie was eventually diagnosed with myeloma, a form of blood cancer affecting around 33,000 people in the UK. He underwent chemotherapy, but it was too late, as his condition rapidly deteriorated due to multi-organ failure. Beth believes that the delay in receiving a blood test and subsequent misdiagnosis were the catalyst for Ronnie’s tragic demise.
The symptoms of myeloma can be non-descript and easily mistaken for other conditions. However, these should be red flags for GPs, especially in patients with no underlying health conditions. Beth hopes to educate GPs on this matter to prevent similar tragedies from occurring in the future.
In honour of her stepfather, Beth is running the Edinburgh Marathon to raise money for Myeloma UK. The fundraising campaign aims to support other families who have experienced a sudden and devastating loss due to cancer misdiagnosis. Ronnie’s legacy lives on through Beth’s determination to make a difference and ensure that no one else suffers from such a tragic fate.
Source: https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/health/gp-gave-stepdad-laxatives-knew-35274485