A Coventry woman is sharing her sister's harrowing experience with pancreatic cancer in a bid to raise awareness of the disease. Debbie Caldwell's sister, Michelle Hamill, died in 2008, but Debbie is sharing her story now while working with Pancreatic Cancer Action.

Pancreatic Cancer Action is a UK-based charity dedicated to improving survival rates through early diagnosis of pancreatic cancer, to raise awareness of the disease’s devastating nature. Despite this story taking place in 2008 and the strides made in other cancer types, the five-year survival rate of pancreatic cancer is still under eight per cent.

Debbie said: “My sister Michelle and I have always been a little chubby, fluctuating between me being chubby and her being slim, and vice versa. Michelle was 43 and at a chubby stage, I wasn't far behind.

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“In January 2008, Michelle began to lose weight and started to suffer from indigestion-like symptoms that would come and go. She went to see her GP who prescribed antacids to help with the acid reflux she was feeling, and he diagnosed it as indigestion.

“Come February, the pain started. The acid feeling was still there, and now she was getting pain through her tummy to her back."

Debbie says Michelle and her husband went back to the GP but left with the same diagnosis of indigestion and with a prescription for more Gaviscon and antacids. Michelle was still working full-time and had a son who was turning 18, so she ploughed on with life despite having to live in pain. April arrived, and Michelle was very slim and in a lot of pain, but still going to work and just about managing to function.

"One afternoon, she popped in for her cuppa and she looked like she was in a lot of pain and exhausted. I told her to go home and lie down as that might make her feel a little better. But something did not sit right with me, and after she’d left, I jumped in my car and drove straight round to her house. I went in and she was on the floor curled up in a ball in agony, I scooped her up and drove straight to A&E," said Debbie.

"At A&E a junior doctor called Danny took Michelle's temperature and her BP which were both sky-high. Danny said something was not right and with all her symptoms, ordered a CT scan. We went home with Michelle still in pain, but at least we knew something was being done.

"Two days later I got a call from mum who said that Michelle and her husband had taken a call from the GP regarding her CT scan. Michelle was sitting with mum when she told me that it was pancreatic cancer. Our world fell apart, it was awful.

"I didn’t see Michelle that day because I was too afraid to face her; I was scared. My beautiful sister who was just 43 had cancer.

"At this point, it was full-on ‘let’s get Michelle fixed’! Once the news had sunk in, we looked for treatments. Michelle's GP couldn't apologise enough for the late diagnosis and became a close family friend."

On May 1, 2008, the consultant who put her through a CT scan said that the cancer was so far advanced that she would only have six months left to live and he referred Michelle for surgery to cut the nerves in her spinal column to help reduce her pain. Sadly for the family, the surgery was unsuccessful due to how the cancer had progressed.

'Our world fell apart'

After this the GP recommended palliative care and a course of chemotherapy. Debbie said: “We had a Macmillan nurse that came in every day. Michelle had started to get abnormal build-ups of fluid and was extremely uncomfortable.

"Her tummy would swell so much that she looked nine months pregnant, and the pain was unbearable for her. It was drained in the hospital three times, and each time over four litres of fluid came out, you could see the relief on her face."

She added: “By late September, Michelle was sleeping a lot, and we spent our days reminiscing. With the help of her nurses, her husband took her to Portsmouth, and she also got to see her favourite singer, Sting from The Police; the smile on her face said it all."

On October 1, doctors said there was no more they could do for Michelle and she died. Debbie said: “They moved Michelle into a quiet room where she was comfortable.

"With just myself and her husband, we called the priest, and he came. No sooner had he given last rights and closed the door, she passed. From that day forward, my life changed forever.”

Pancreatic cancer is the fifth most common cause of cancer death in the UK, with over 10,000 people diagnosed each year. Early diagnosis is crucial for improving survival rates, yet under eight per cent of those diagnosed will survive for five years or more.

Pancreatic Cancer Action is dedicated to raising awareness of the disease and funding research into early detection and treatment. Visit the website at www.panact.org to find out more about their work.