Prestonpans grandad had to wait 12 days to see specialist after being told he had months to live

Walter Fairnie, who had only turned 60 in June last year, died just 29 days after being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer.

His wife Janet said she was shocked by the lack of treatment or options available to her husband after receiving the devastating diagnosis.

She told the Courier: “Walter was never ill and we did not see this coming. To go from diagnosis to losing him in just 29 days just seems beyond belief.

“We had so much still to do; he did not even get to retire.”

Walter, from Prestonpans, worked for Dunedin Canmore as a property services manager.

He and Janet, 58, married in 2004 and had five children and nine grandchildren.

In November last year, Walter began suffering from breathlessness and was diagnosed with a chest infection by doctors and given a course of antibiotics.

When that failed to cure his symptoms, he was sent to Edinburgh Royal Infirmary and underwent a CT scan which revealed the cancer.

Janet said: “On December 2, the doctor told us Walter had pancreatic cancer. He told Walter to get his affairs in order and said he had between three and six months.

“An urgent referral was made for him to be seen at the Western General but we were told it could take up to 14 days.

“I was shocked, I phoned them daily to try and speed things up and get him seen.”

Janet, who underwent treatment for breast cancer in 2009, said she was taken aback by the difference in the way she was treated then and Walter’s situation.

She said: “I don’t recall any delays between my diagnosis and going in to see specialists and receive treatment. For 12 days we had no support after receiving Walter’s diagnosis.It seemed like the more serious your condition, the longer you had wait.”

Walter died on December 31, just hours after being admitted to the Marie Curie hospice in Edinburgh.

Donations from his funeral, which was well-attended, and held in Prestongrange Church, helped raise £2,020, which the family gave to Pancreatic Cancer Scotland, at the weekend.

And Janet is setting up a fundraising page in Walter’s memory to continue raising money for the charity to help fund research and raise awareness.

Donate at www.justgiving.com/fundraising/lou-chelle

The family are also planning to have a tribute to lifelong Hearts fan Walter, and his late son Paul, placed in the Forever In Our Hearts Memorial Garden at Tynecastle.

Janet is determined to raise the profile of the disease.

She said: “When Walter became ill, we just thought it was respiratory; pancreatic cancer never crossed our minds.

“I still feel shellshocked by how suddenly we lost him. It seems unbearable to go from diagnosis to death in 29 days.

“It has been a loss for the entire family. Walter was a devoted dad and grandad and is so missed.”

Pancreatic Cancer Scotland said 90 per cent of people are diagnosed with the disease too late for potentially curative surgery, with only three per cent surviving.

It is the fifth most common cause of cancer deaths but receives just one per cent of overall cancer research funding.

Janet said: “I think those statistics are shocking; more needs to be done to find ways to diagnose it early and raise awareness. This shouldn’t have happened.”

Norman Wilson of Pancreatic Cancer Scotland said: “We really rely on people like Janet and her family, who are raising awareness and funding for research.

“It is a disease far too many people do not know anything about or that it exists.”

Jacquie Campbell, acting chief officer of NHS Lothian, said: “I would like to offer our condolences to Mr Fairnie’s family at what must be a very difficult time. I would like to reassure the family that urgent referrals are prioritised; however, time is required to process these and set up the appropriate appointment, which we aim to have in place within 14 days.”