A Scots dad has died three months after he received a shock cancer diagnosis after being left unable to get out of bed due to extreme pain. Tam Coyle from the Niddrie area of Edinburgh, started noticing something was wrong when he started experiencing a persistent cough and chest pains.
The 60-year-old visited his GP but was told that he had pleurisy and was given co-codamol to deal with the pain. Unconvinced by the diagnosis, his partner Jackie Ann Dempsey, 45, fought to have medics investigate further as he started losing weight and experiencing debilitating back pain.
It was only when Tam was rushed to hospital after he was unable to get out of bed that Jackie convinced doctors to do more tests. Medics then tragically informed the family that they had discovered that the dad had terminal cancer which had spread throughout his body.
Speaking to Edinburgh Live Jackie said: "Tam was a funny person and liked to have a laugh. He loved his family and to be around them. He had six sons and was a father figure to my daughters.
"He was a big betting man on the horses and one of his wishes before he passed was to make it to see the Grand National. He told everyone to put on the horse Ain't That a Shame as he was convinced that was going to be the winner but the horse came in 17th.
"Even when he was ill he still wanted his bets put on. Everything happened so quickly, he had a cough so had gone to the GP and told him to get a cough bottle but it didn't help.
"Then he started getting pains losing weight etc he then got went to the Royal Infirmary for an X-Ray which confirmed he had pleurisy and was to take co-codamol.
"He was losing weight and had a really sore back so he ended up back in hospital for back pain - he was in agony. Tam had been at my house and tried to get up out of bed and couldn't move - I and my daughter had to physically move him.
"I called the doctor and he went into the hospital via an ambulance. He had pains in his chest and I had to fight to get him a CT scan as we were waiting ages.
"He was on tablets for weeks he also had shortness of breath, chest pain and back pain but it was the back pain that was worst then on February 15 he was diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer."
She continued: "He was completely devastated - we both were. The oncologist said that in his position chemotherapy had a 50 per cent chance of making things better but he decided against it.
"All the family were going up to visit him every day including good friends from over the years. He chose to die in the house at the end and passed away on 21 of May. He was and will always be my world I'm so lost without him.
"Tam loved his pigeons and enjoyed fishing with his brothers, one of his best friends died just before Christmas of cancer too - he had it at that time but had no idea. He was loved by so many and just wanted to make sure I was going to be ok.."
Tam's funeral will be on June 6 June at 10.30am at Mission Church in Niddrie then on to Craigmillar Cemetery where all family and friends are welcome.
Don't miss the latest news from around Scotland and beyond - sign up to our daily newsletter here.
