Con Fitzpatrick, from Mallow, Co Cork, was 51 years old when he was diagnosed with cancer in 2004. A builder by trade, he is also fond of horses and cattle and now keeps a few at his home.
For a year or so prior to diagnosis, he suffered with reflux and discomfort after eating – symptoms he put down to indigestion initially.
“I thought that’s what it was. The regurgitation of my food and the heartburn had gone on for a year or so, so when it continued I had a test done,” he says.
“I was called back two weeks later for another one and I sensed then that the doctor knew more than he was telling me.”
A week later it was confirmed that Con had cancer in his stomach and the lower part of his oesophagus. Surgery was recommended immediately.
“Hearing that really took the wind out of my sails. I’m normally robust enough, but it was a shock being told that.”
Con was operated on within weeks.
“The whole thing was fast and furious,” he says, “nearly too fast for me, but it was necessary in the circumstances.”
Con was in hospital for a month and had major difficulty consuming food for a long time afterwards.
Difficulty eating
“I was on liquid food – special drinks – and I was totally rejecting them so I lost a lot of weight quickly,” he says.
“For a long time, at home, my partner Eileen would have to shut the kitchen door when she was cooking because the smell alone would make me nauseous. I was only ever able to eat a few spoonfuls of anything and could hardly walk on my own at that stage. I wouldn’t be alive today without Eileen.”
Another operation was deemed necessary for Con but he was too weak to have it done.
“My weight dropped down to nine stone at one point, down from 18 stone when I was first diagnosed,” he says.
“They wanted me to go back for another operation because the tuck (a kind of pouch they’d made in my large intestine to hold my food) wasn’t working.”
Various tube methods for feeding were tried but none really worked, even the one put directly into Con’s abdomen.
“As the months went by I still wasn’t getting strong enough to be able to have the reconstruction operation.”
Emergency surgery was done when he became very, very weak.
“Even though I wasn’t physically able for it, they had no choice but try to do a (tuck) reconstruction and, thankfully, it has worked.”
Con was allowed home from hospital months later when he could finally keep small amounts of solid food down.
“I can only eat little bits still and I get some bloating and all that but overall I’m happy,” he says.
“I survived where many didn’t. I have a lot of other side issues, medically, like an irregular heartbeat, but at least I am still over ground. Eleven years on, I’m back up to 12 stone now, just about the right weight for me.”
Giving back
Con appreciates the work of the staff at the hospital he went to – the Mercy in Cork – and does some fundraising to help out since.
“You have to give something back, I think. There is a lot of negativity about hospitals and everyone seems to want everything for nothing but I can’t say anything bad about how I was looked after.”
Never surrender
Con believes that it is important not to surrender (to an illness).
“To anybody out there having issues like cancer, I’d say it’s not the end of the world but it’s important that you face up to it. In the hospital, friends of mine who were sportsmen came in to see me and told me: ‘Con, you can’t surrender. You have to fight it.’ It was like being in a dressing room before a match. They put a bit of fight into me that I didn’t have.
“After a while I realised that you must frame your mind for battle and tell yourself you’re not going to be defeated. There is a lot to it because if I hadn’t done that then I’ve a feeling that I wouldn’t be around today.”
Horses kept him going
Con has no doubt that having stock to look after has helped him in his recovery.
“The horses kept me going. I’d get up to feed them and see them and do my best to walk a bit every day. They kept me mobile and sane. I’ve a few cattle now too. Even now, years on, I know that if I didn’t have the animals I could have got into a situation where I didn’t care what was happening to me. When you have animals you must get up, like I did this morning, and look at the beautiful morning, the sort of day where you say: ‘Isn’t it a great day to be alive?’”
Con has some advice for anyone reading this who may be experiencing symptoms they think are indigestion.
“Get it sussed out. If it’s only minor, it’s minor, but if it goes on for more than a month then see your GP. If it is something serious then the sooner you get it treated the better.”
Ireland has a registered charity, the Oesophageal Cancer Fund (OCF), that has been running a campaign for the past 14 years to increase public awareness of the symptoms of the disease. It is supported by Medtronic, a medical technology and services company. A Lollipop fundraising day is held each February.
Information
Oesophageal cancer is a treatable condition if caught early enough. The danger is that it often starts with digestive complaints that may be perceived as everyday problems. If more than one of the following symptoms persist, you should see your GP.
• Frequent and persistent hiccups.• Constant burping/belching/coughing.• Acid indigestion/hearburn/reflux.• Difficulty swallowing (solids/meats at first, then softer foods/liquids.• Weight loss.• Unexplained tiredness.• Vomiting.• Discomfort in the throat or back.• Discomfort between the breast bone and shoulder.• A lump in the neck or hoarseness in the voice (rare).Oesophageal cancer is more common in people over 60 and affects three times more men than women.
Risk factors
• Age.• Being male.• Smoking.• Alcohol overuse.• Diet lacking in fruit and veg.• Obesity.Almost 450 new cases of oesophageal cancer are diagnosed in Ireland each year.
“It’s a difficult cancer to treat,” says Professor John Reynolds of St James’s, “but, like all cancer, the earlier it is caught, the easier it is to cure.”
• For more information, see www.lollipopday.ie and the Irish Cancer society website at www.cancer.ie.
Con Fitzpatrick, from Mallow, Co Cork, was 51 years old when he was diagnosed with cancer in 2004. A builder by trade, he is also fond of horses and cattle and now keeps a few at his home.
For a year or so prior to diagnosis, he suffered with reflux and discomfort after eating – symptoms he put down to indigestion initially.
“I thought that’s what it was. The regurgitation of my food and the heartburn had gone on for a year or so, so when it continued I had a test done,” he says.
“I was called back two weeks later for another one and I sensed then that the doctor knew more than he was telling me.”
A week later it was confirmed that Con had cancer in his stomach and the lower part of his oesophagus. Surgery was recommended immediately.
“Hearing that really took the wind out of my sails. I’m normally robust enough, but it was a shock being told that.”
Con was operated on within weeks.
“The whole thing was fast and furious,” he says, “nearly too fast for me, but it was necessary in the circumstances.”
Con was in hospital for a month and had major difficulty consuming food for a long time afterwards.
Difficulty eating
“I was on liquid food – special drinks – and I was totally rejecting them so I lost a lot of weight quickly,” he says.
“For a long time, at home, my partner Eileen would have to shut the kitchen door when she was cooking because the smell alone would make me nauseous. I was only ever able to eat a few spoonfuls of anything and could hardly walk on my own at that stage. I wouldn’t be alive today without Eileen.”
Another operation was deemed necessary for Con but he was too weak to have it done.
“My weight dropped down to nine stone at one point, down from 18 stone when I was first diagnosed,” he says.
“They wanted me to go back for another operation because the tuck (a kind of pouch they’d made in my large intestine to hold my food) wasn’t working.”
Various tube methods for feeding were tried but none really worked, even the one put directly into Con’s abdomen.
“As the months went by I still wasn’t getting strong enough to be able to have the reconstruction operation.”
Emergency surgery was done when he became very, very weak.
“Even though I wasn’t physically able for it, they had no choice but try to do a (tuck) reconstruction and, thankfully, it has worked.”
Con was allowed home from hospital months later when he could finally keep small amounts of solid food down.
“I can only eat little bits still and I get some bloating and all that but overall I’m happy,” he says.
“I survived where many didn’t. I have a lot of other side issues, medically, like an irregular heartbeat, but at least I am still over ground. Eleven years on, I’m back up to 12 stone now, just about the right weight for me.”
Giving back
Con appreciates the work of the staff at the hospital he went to – the Mercy in Cork – and does some fundraising to help out since.
“You have to give something back, I think. There is a lot of negativity about hospitals and everyone seems to want everything for nothing but I can’t say anything bad about how I was looked after.”
Never surrender
Con believes that it is important not to surrender (to an illness).
“To anybody out there having issues like cancer, I’d say it’s not the end of the world but it’s important that you face up to it. In the hospital, friends of mine who were sportsmen came in to see me and told me: ‘Con, you can’t surrender. You have to fight it.’ It was like being in a dressing room before a match. They put a bit of fight into me that I didn’t have.
“After a while I realised that you must frame your mind for battle and tell yourself you’re not going to be defeated. There is a lot to it because if I hadn’t done that then I’ve a feeling that I wouldn’t be around today.”
Horses kept him going
Con has no doubt that having stock to look after has helped him in his recovery.
“The horses kept me going. I’d get up to feed them and see them and do my best to walk a bit every day. They kept me mobile and sane. I’ve a few cattle now too. Even now, years on, I know that if I didn’t have the animals I could have got into a situation where I didn’t care what was happening to me. When you have animals you must get up, like I did this morning, and look at the beautiful morning, the sort of day where you say: ‘Isn’t it a great day to be alive?’”
Con has some advice for anyone reading this who may be experiencing symptoms they think are indigestion.
“Get it sussed out. If it’s only minor, it’s minor, but if it goes on for more than a month then see your GP. If it is something serious then the sooner you get it treated the better.”
Ireland has a registered charity, the Oesophageal Cancer Fund (OCF), that has been running a campaign for the past 14 years to increase public awareness of the symptoms of the disease. It is supported by Medtronic, a medical technology and services company. A Lollipop fundraising day is held each February.
Information
Oesophageal cancer is a treatable condition if caught early enough. The danger is that it often starts with digestive complaints that may be perceived as everyday problems. If more than one of the following symptoms persist, you should see your GP.
• Frequent and persistent hiccups.• Constant burping/belching/coughing.• Acid indigestion/hearburn/reflux.• Difficulty swallowing (solids/meats at first, then softer foods/liquids.• Weight loss.• Unexplained tiredness.• Vomiting.• Discomfort in the throat or back.• Discomfort between the breast bone and shoulder.• A lump in the neck or hoarseness in the voice (rare).Oesophageal cancer is more common in people over 60 and affects three times more men than women.
Risk factors
• Age.• Being male.• Smoking.• Alcohol overuse.• Diet lacking in fruit and veg.• Obesity.Almost 450 new cases of oesophageal cancer are diagnosed in Ireland each year.
“It’s a difficult cancer to treat,” says Professor John Reynolds of St James’s, “but, like all cancer, the earlier it is caught, the easier it is to cure.”
• For more information, see www.lollipopday.ie and the Irish Cancer society website at www.cancer.ie.
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