Ronnie was informed he required a blood test, which was scheduled two weeks later. Frustrated, Anne, Beth’s mother, rushed Ronnie to the emergency room.
A dedicated stepfather tragically lost his battle with cancer after his initial symptoms were mistakenly attributed to constipation.
Beth Hunt, a 42-year-old nurse from East Calder, mourns the loss of her stepfather, Ronnie Haston, who succumbed to myeloma in April 2024, merely two weeks after his hospital admission.
At 68, Ronnie, who owned a business dealing in hearing aids, was previously vigorous and in good health. He was planning for his retirement when he suddenly fell ill in March the previous year. Following a telephone consultation, his general practitioner dismissed his symptoms as constipation.
“From the time he was admitted to the hospital to when he passed was just two weeks,” Beth explained. “He was fit and had no other health issues. His sudden death was a shock to everyone. He couldn’t even enjoy a single day of retirement with my mum or any of their future plans together.”
“His symptoms started with constipation, for which the GP prescribed laxatives. He was very tired and experienced muscle pain. He just didn’t look well.”
Ronnie was advised that he needed a blood test but was told he would have to wait two weeks. Desperate, Beth’s mother Anne took him to the accident and emergency department.
Upon arrival at the hospital, tests revealed that Ronnie’s kidney function had drastically dropped to only 14 percent. His calcium levels were alarmingly high. He was eventually diagnosed with myeloma, a type of blood cancer affecting around 33,000 people in the UK.
Unfortunately, Ronnie died after spending two weeks in the hospital. “They had planned to start chemotherapy and had a complete treatment plan ready,” Beth recounted. “They thought he would be a suitable candidate for a stem cell transplant. He underwent two rounds of chemotherapy while severely sick with pneumonia, and then he died two days later.”
“He essentially succumbed to multi-organ failure. It was utterly shocking,” she added. “It’s not the fault of individuals; it’s a systemic failure.”
“The series of errors, the delays. We kept insisting he needed a blood test, but he couldn’t get one for two weeks. How is that acceptable nowadays? If someone is unwell, they need the blood test immediately. Even in the hospital, everything was too little, too late.”
“The key issue here is the need to better educate GPs. The signs of myeloma can be vague and easily overlooked. They might be dismissed as simple muscle aches and fatigue, but these should be red flags for any GP, particularly when the patient has no prior conditions and has only seen a GP for something minor like cellulitis from mosquito bites.”
“Had Ronnie not been so severely ill by the time he was hospitalized, he might have had a better chance at fighting the disease,” Beth lamented.
As a tribute to her beloved stepfather, Beth, a mother of two, has committed to running the Edinburgh Marathon to raise funds for Myeloma UK.
“I signed up for the Edinburgh Marathon the night of Ronnie’s funeral,” she shared. “When I ran a 10-mile race eight years ago, mum and Ronnie were my biggest cheerleaders. They raced across Edinburgh to see me at various points along the route.”
“This is my first marathon, but I’m determined. I know I can handle at least half, but I’ll need to push through the last six miles,” Beth asserted. “When I run, I think about Ronnie and my mum. The past year without him has been incredibly tough for her. If she can get up each day without him and take one step at a time, so can I.”
So far, Beth has raised over £1,500 towards her £2,000 goal, hoping to prevent other families from experiencing the sudden loss of a loved one like hers.
“Ronnie was such a strong presence in our lives,” Beth reflected. “I’ve had him in my life since I was 19. You don’t realize the impact someone has until they’re gone. He was kind-hearted, always there to support and never to judge. He was someone you could always count on.”
“If I can do anything to help other families, then that’s what I want to do. The support from Myeloma UK is invaluable, and had Ronnie lived longer, it would have been a tremendous help to us.”
“Life will never be the same without him. It’s a cliché, but it’s true—life is short and precious. I want to support other families; I don’t want anyone else to go through what we did,” Beth concluded.
To support Beth’s fundraising efforts, visit her JustGiving page at [Beth’s Miles for Myeloma](https://www.justgiving.com/page/beths-miles-for-myeloma).
Hi, I’m Benjamin, a member of the Sherburne County Citizen team. With a passion for writing and a deep interest in current affairs, I thoroughly enjoy bringing you the latest news and trends that affect our daily lives.
