A DAD says a daily run with his two young sons has given them the strength to cope with a shattering cancer diagnosis – and has raised £10,000 in days for a charity hard-hit by the pandemic.

Rob Flett’s wife Moira Findlay was diagnosed with a rare and incurable cancer in October last year after suffering few symptoms.

The fit 51-year-old suspected something was wrong after becoming overwhelmed with exhaustion during a mini-triathlon. She had taken part in several before with no problems.

Her non-specific symptoms were initially diagnosed as the auto-immune disorder Coeliac disease but a GP pushed for further tests.

The family were given the devastating news that Moira had neuroendocrine cancer, a rare tumour that can develop in many different parts of the body - in her case in the pancreas and liver. It is commonly diagnosed at an advanced staged when palliative care is the only option.

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Doctors think it is likely Moira had cancer for a long time before she was diagnosed but her fitness levels kept the worst of the symptoms at bay.

Rob, who is a former public relations officer for Glasgow Caledonian University, said: “Moira was very fit and healthy. We all really enjoy being on the bikes and running and wild swimming and getting into the hills.

“She was taking part in the Loch Tay mini-triathlon with Euan and she was just absolutely exhausted on the way round in a way that she thought was unusual. 

“Initially she was diagnosed with Coeliac disease but the GP was excellent and did more tests.

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“The kind of cancer Moira has, it’s almost always the case that by the time it’s diagnosed it’s too late to do anything more than palliative care."

Rob said the couple have tried to be as open as they can with sons Jamie, 13 and Euan, 16, about their mother's illness.

He said: “What we have tried to do is give the boys as much information as we felt was useful for them but not so much that they ‘Google’ it.

“When Moira was diagnosed I spoke to a few people who had lost parents when they were younger. The message we got from everybody was, ‘I wish someone had told me what was going on.’

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“Moira's strength and positivity and natural resilience is really inspirational."

Rob sought support from cancer support charity Maggie’s and says an email dropped into his inbox “at the right time” about a fundraising challenge to run 288 miles in 30 days - the distance between the charity’s eight Scottish centres.

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He said: “One of the things I didn’t really appreciate before is how beneficial the act of fundraising is for the people who are doing it as well as the organisation.

“Some of the difficult conversations that we are having as a family - it’s easier to have those conversations out of the house when we are going for a wee run.

“The boys are really thinking of her when they are going out. No matter what the weather has been like, they have never moaned.

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“We are just trying to have a bit of an adventure every day. When you get out of the house and get into the woods, it’s just so good, you can almost feel the tension leaving you, even for a little while and I think it helps the boys to feel that.”

Jamie, 13, said “Our mum has always taken us on adventures and we are really missing her. When the running gets hard I think about how brave she is being and that keeps me going.”

Moira, who previously worked in marketing, is currently in hospital as the cancer causes unpleasant side effects which are difficult to manage at home. Rob has been given compassionate leave from his job in public relations at Herriot Watt University and said the family are just hoping to get Moira home as soon as possible.

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Meanwhile, their daily runs will continue and the family was celebrating passing the £10,000 mark yesterday on day 19 of the Maggie's challenge.

Rob said: “When your family falls ill with cancer it is such a comfort to know someone is there and ready to catch you."

Andrew Anderson, Centre Head for Maggie’s Edinburgh, said: “Rob, Euan and Jamie’s Miles for Maggie’s challenge is really inspiring.  To run the 288 miles between our eight Scottish Maggie’s centres over 30 days, while their mum Moira has cancer, is exceptional.

“They are managing to draw something positive from an incredibly difficult situation made all the harder by coronavirus and shielding.  

"We rely almost entirely on voluntary donations to be able to provide our professional practical, emotional and psychological support - virtually and in our centres -  and the coronavirus has made fundraising much harder. ”

To sponsor the family click here