Mother-of-two dies of ‘quickest killing cancer’ just weeks after father found her in agonising pain

A mother-of-two died just five weeks after being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, which was only discovered after her father found her clinging to a bench in agony outside a coffee shop.

Verna Jackson, was as a ‘very private, very quiet, just very reliable, dependable, honest’ person, according to her older sister Yvonne Powell, 49.

The 50-year-old fundraiser, from Formby, had been struggling with agonising stomach pains. Paracetamol did not help with the pain, and Verna was unable to reach her GP over the phone to make an appointment for weeks.

However, Verna didn’t tell her family about the pain, which kept getting worse and worse, and so they didn’t find out until her father found her clinging to a bench outside a local Costa suffering with serious pain April last year. 

Yvonne, a mother-of-one who works in insurance, said: ‘My dad bumped into her in the village one day and she was in agony. 

Verna Jackson and her younger sister Yvonne Powell, from Formby. Verna died of pancreatic cancer last June, weeks after being diagnosed following a visit to A&E

‘He said, “Right that’s it”,  and just marched her into the doctors and said, “We’re making an appointment and we’re not leaving until we’ve got one”.’

The GP prescribed medication for a stomach ulcer, but the pain came back. The GP then referred her to a specialist, but Yvonne says the hospital lost Verna’s records. 

Yvonne told the Liverpool Echo: ‘She was at my mum’s [house] and she was just crying in agony.

‘My mum was on the phone to the GP, and the GP said to take her up to A&E. It was the Easter weekend and they said they couldn’t scan her because it was a bank holiday. 

‘[Verna] was in a lot of pain over the four days of the bank holiday weekend. She went back up to A&E…and they kept her in. That was when they actually scanned her.’

WHAT IS PANCREATIC CANCER?

Pancreatic cancer is one of the most lethal forms of the disease, and around 95 per cent of people who contract it die from it.  

Joan Crawford, Patrick Swayze and Luciano Pavarotti all died of pancreatic cancer.

It is the sixth most common cause of cancer death in the UK – around 10,000 people are diagnosed with pancreatic cancer each year in the UK, alongside about 55,000 in the US.

WHAT IS THE CAUSE?

It is caused by the abnormal and uncontrolled growth of cells in the pancreas – a large gland in the digestive system.

WHO HAS THE HIGHEST RISK?

Most cases (90 per cent) are in people over the age of 55.

Around half of all new cases occur in people aged 75 or older.

One in 10 cases are attributed to genetics.

Other possible causes include age, smoking and other health conditions, including diabetes.

WHY IS IT SO LETHAL?

There is no screening method for pancreatic cancer. 

Pancreatic cancer typically does not show symptoms in the early stages, when it would be more manageable. 

Sufferers tend to start developing the tell-tale signs – jaundice and abdominal pain – around stage 3 or 4, when it has likely already spread to other organs.    

WHAT ARE THE TREATMENT OPTIONS? 

The only effective treatment is removal of the pancreas. 

This proves largely ineffective for those whose cancer has spread to other organs. 

In those cases, palliative care is advised to ease their pain at the end of their life.  

A couple of days later, Yvonne was celebrating her birthday with her mother and daughter, when Verna called from the hospital.

According to Yvonne: ‘My sister had been communicating with my dad mainly, but she rang my mum and asked her to go up to the hospital.

‘At that time, you weren’t able to have visitors, there were still Covid restrictions. We just knew, we knew there was going to be a cancer diagnosis. My mum was in hysterics.’

In May last year, doctors diagnosed Verna with pancreatic cancer, the deadliest of the 20 most common cancers, described as the ‘quiet killer’.

According to Pancreatic Cancer UK, the disease kills some 9,000 people in the UK each year.

Following her diagnosis, Verna’s health deteriorated so rapidly that her parents struggled to care for her, and she moved to a hospice.   

Yvonne said: ‘That was it then, five weeks later she was gone.’

She added: ‘The final time we went up, her daughter didn’t want to go, because she was really upset the day before because her mum did look really ill.

‘[Verna’s] breathing was very laboured and we knew she wasn’t going to make it through the day, so my mum called dad and my dad shot up. 

‘My mum and dad were holding Verna’s hand, and I was stroking her hair. [There was] literally was one last breath, and she was gone.’

The family was left with a ‘massive emptiness’ when Verna died in June 2021. 

More than half of people with pancreatic cancer die within three months of diagnosis according to Pancreatic Cancer UK, which described it as ‘an appalling statistic that has barely improved in 50 years’. 

And the charity fears the situation is set to become even bleaker this Winter than it was during the pandemic, when tens of thousands of cancer diagnoses were missed.

A poll of 1,000 GPs carried out by Savanta ComRes for the charity showed that more than 80 per cent of GPs are concerned Winter pressures on the NHS will stop people with the condition from getting a diagnosis and life-saving treatment

Now, to mark Pancreatic Cancer Awareness Month, the charity has launched its No Time To Wait campaign, urging the government to urgently publish funded cancer plans to deliver faster diagnosis and treatment for people with pancreatic cancer, for whom time is of the essence.

Diana Jupp, the charity’s CEO, said: ‘The message from health professionals is frighteningly clear – the pandemic, staff shortages and underfunding have all pushed the NHS to breaking point. 

‘Pancreatic cancer is the quickest killing cancer, and any delays to diagnosis and treatment could cost people their chance of survival. There is no time to wait.

‘Governments across the UK must bring forward and implement funded cancer plans to deliver faster diagnosis and treatment that will save lives, not just this winter but well into the future. 

‘We cannot afford to continue lurching from one worsening crisis to another. People with pancreatic cancer, their loved ones, and hardworking NHS staff all deserve better.’  

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