A heartbroken daughter has paid tribute to her 'superman' dad as she prepares to run a marathon in his memory after he died of cancer four months after complaining of body aches.
Plumber Stephen McAuley, 56, felt unwell and took some time off work before he was diagnosed in September 2020. The dad-of-two, from Paisley, felt physically sick and soon saw his doctor who, after running tests, confirmed that he had pancreatic cancer and it was at an advanced stage.
As reported by Glasgow Live, he underwent chemotherapy and was due to go for an operation - however, he contracted sepsis and was later deemed unfit for surgery. Stephen died at his home on January 21, 2021, with his loved ones by his side.
His daughter Kirsty, 24, said: "We were really scared. You view your dad as a superman and then we see the progression of how unwell he got.
"His skin started to go that jaundiced way where he looked yellow. He was barely eating and fading away.
"It was so sudden and we were in lockdown so in the house constantly. It felt quite overwhelming sometimes."
Recalling the devastating day her dad passed, Kirsty added: "He was lying in bed and could barely speak. He was coming in and out of sleep.
"We were all taking turns to go up and sit beside him. You could see the cancer was taking over him.
"It was an awful time for us, it was the shock of only having one parent now. It felt like something was missing when everything of my dad was still there.
"It took a long time getting used to the fact that he wasn’t going to be there."
Some of Kirsty's happiest memories of her dad were when he used to take her and older brother Mark, 26, to play snooker when they were younger. Stephen would also sometimes take Kirsty with him to watch his beloved St Mirren play.
She added: "He was really caring and loving. He was very witty and funny and a good friend to have.
"I miss having a dad and going to him for things like life advice or car troubles. I’d sit on the coach for hours and chat away about pointless things with him.
"The thought of knowing he won’t be there for big life events is a hard thing to grasp."
Kirsty is running the Manchester marathon in April to raise money for Pancreatic Cancer Action in memory of her late dad.
For more information and to support the fundraising appeal, click here.
