Kevan Donoghue
Patricia dedicated her life to caring for others as a nurse practitioner, but when her husband Kevan was diagnosed with bile duct cancer, she found herself in a battle she could not win.
Kevan had just turned 63 when he woke up with abdominal pain. By September 5, his eyes had turned yellow, and blood tests confirmed their fears. A doctor felt his liver and suspected the worst. The diagnosis was devastating—bile duct cancer, a rare disease with no clear treatment path. His consultant was hopeful, but the odds were stacked against him.
He was placed on a waitlist for a specialist unit in Edinburgh, where he contracted MRSA within weeks of admission. This led to six months of single-room isolation, and he only tested negative the week before discharge. By Christmas, he was too ill for a chemotherapy trial. A major liver surgery changed his body in ways that horrified him. He spent six months in hospital, then faced further isolation after contracting an infection. Patricia travelled from Glasgow to Edinburgh every day, refusing to leave his side.
Kevan fought to maintain his independence, with his sons Liam and Gavin and daughter-in-law Caroline supporting him throughout. But his condition worsened. A bowel blockage left him unable to eat or drink for weeks. The nasal gastric tube failed, and the hospice staff had no treatment choices to offer for this. They cared for him as best they could given these circumstances. He passed away 18 months after his diagnosis, at the age of 64.
Patricia was left shattered. It took five years to emerge from the PTSD that followed. Looking back, she knows that if assisted dying had been an option, Kevan would have chosen it. He wanted to live—but he also wanted dignity in death.