This cause means so much to me.
Just three days before his 60th birthday, with a ‘cracking weekend in London planned to celebrate’ Patrick Carroll received the news that blew his world inside out.
“I remember just sitting with my wife while we tried to process that I only had months left to live,” says Pat, who was diagnosed with Stage 4 oesophageal cancer in October 2024.
Having already come through triple bypass surgery the previous year, where his recovery and rehabilitation had been great, Pat thought he had put the worst behind him.
“But I then started feeling a bit under the weather. My iron levels were low, so I started taking tablets and received an iron infusion. I didn’t have any other symptoms, no cough, no problem swallowing.
“I am of the age group where we just tend to bite the bullet and get on with it, but doctors were worried enough to suggest I should have a sigmoidoscopy and endoscopy,” says Pat.
However, after a further endoscopy, the cancer diagnosis was confirmed, which also showed there was metastasis to the liver, and Pat was told there was little they could do.
But Pat’s mantra in life is ‘no surrender’, so he had no hesitation in agreeing to a fairly gruelling and heavy-duty course of chemotherapy mixed with immunotherapy treatment at Cheltenham General Hospital in Gloucestershire.
It was during those first treatments that Pat came across a book by six-time Olympic cycling champion, Sir Chris Hoy, who himself was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer in September 2023.
“That book galvanised me and made me want to stay alive. I knew I had three main goals that I wanted to achieve, which were to see my son graduate, celebrate my 25th wedding anniversary and see my youngest daughter off to university,” says Pat.
And despite some bad initial reactions to the medication, Pat finished his first round of treatment, which held the cancer at bay for a while.
It was no surprise then that Pat found himself taking part in Sir Chris Hoy’s inaugural Tour de 4 cycling charity fundraiser earlier this year with an overwhelming desire to give something back in thanks for the care and support he received while going through his treatment.
“I don’t have enough words to say how fantastic the care has been on my cancer journey so far. I started with long, long days at Cheltenham Hospital and then I was offered the option to continue my treatment on the mobile cancer care unit in Stroud, just a few minutes from where I live and the whole thing couldn’t have gone any more smoothly,” says Pat who took part in the fundraiser for Hope for Tomorrow to keep the mobile units on the road.
“I am a pragmatic person, I don’t know how long I have got, who does? But with every living cell in my body, I want to help others going through a similar condition. I am not cancer free but my prognosis is so much better which just goes to prove that with so many amazing therapies available there is every chance to have a real impact on cancer.
“In the early days of treatment, I wasn’t allowed to drive myself, so I was dependent on my wife to take me and although it’s a relatively short drive it still took a huge chunk out of the day. The treatment alone took eight hours.
“To be able to take myself off to the unit which is parked up at the rear of my local hospital has been a game-changer.”
There is a really welcoming atmosphere on the unit, it’s very pleasant.
“The staff are on a rota from the hospital, so the treatment is exactly the same, the only difference is it’s on my doorstep. Towards the end, it felt a bit like just popping out and filling the car up with petrol, it was so quick and easy.
“The unit feels very calm and more personal and there was always someone to talk to, including the driver, who is a big part of the team.
“After the ride, I got the photos out to show the staff on the unit just like you would do with friends. They were all so pleased for me, which made it all the more worthwhile.
The Tour de 4, which begins and ends at the Sir Chris Hoy velodrome in Glasgow, aims to help change the perception of people living with Stage 4 cancer while also raising funds for cancer charities across the UK. It has already raised more than £2 million.
Pat says: “It was the icing on the cake for me to be able to do it and I am already planning the next one. When I first started attending hospital, I was shocked by the amount of people in oncology. With cancer affecting 1 in 2 people, I realise I need to accelerate in my life rather than keep making excuses not to do things.
“I wasn’t aware of the mobile cancer care units before I started using one. I had never given them much thought. I suppose I thought I might never need the support. But I did and it was incredible, and now I am passionate about making sure others get the same opportunity to use them if they need to.
“The sheer level of qualifications among the staff on the units is outstanding. I am spreading the word wherever I can, and that has rippled through my family, friends and colleagues who were all so generous in their contributions towards the Hope for Tomorrow cause.
“I have no fear of death; we are all going to die at some stage, but I refuse to go quietly and without taking action to help those around me, especially when there is so much to do.”
This cause means so much to me.
Just three days before his 60th birthday, with a ‘cracking weekend in London planned to celebrate’ Patrick Carroll received the news that blew his world inside out.
“I remember just sitting with my wife while we tried to process that I only had months left to live,” says Pat, who was diagnosed with Stage 4 oesophageal cancer in October 2024.
Having already come through triple bypass surgery the previous year, where his recovery and rehabilitation had been great, Pat thought he had put the worst behind him.
“But I then started feeling a bit under the weather. My iron levels were low, so I started taking tablets and received an iron infusion. I didn’t have any other symptoms, no cough, no problem swallowing.
“I am of the age group where we just tend to bite the bullet and get on with it, but doctors were worried enough to suggest I should have a sigmoidoscopy and endoscopy,” says Pat.
However, after a further endoscopy, the cancer diagnosis was confirmed, which also showed there was metastasis to the liver, and Pat was told there was little they could do.
But Pat’s mantra in life is ‘no surrender’, so he had no hesitation in agreeing to a fairly gruelling and heavy-duty course of chemotherapy mixed with immunotherapy treatment at Cheltenham General Hospital in Gloucestershire.
It was during those first treatments that Pat came across a book by six-time Olympic cycling champion, Sir Chris Hoy, who himself was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer in September 2023.
“That book galvanised me and made me want to stay alive. I knew I had three main goals that I wanted to achieve, which were to see my son graduate, celebrate my 25th wedding anniversary and see my youngest daughter off to university,” says Pat.
And despite some bad initial reactions to the medication, Pat finished his first round of treatment, which held the cancer at bay for a while.
It was no surprise then that Pat found himself taking part in Sir Chris Hoy’s inaugural Tour de 4 cycling charity fundraiser earlier this year with an overwhelming desire to give something back in thanks for the care and support he received while going through his treatment.
“I don’t have enough words to say how fantastic the care has been on my cancer journey so far. I started with long, long days at Cheltenham Hospital and then I was offered the option to continue my treatment on the mobile cancer care unit in Stroud, just a few minutes from where I live and the whole thing couldn’t have gone any more smoothly,” says Pat who took part in the fundraiser for Hope for Tomorrow to keep the mobile units on the road.
“I am a pragmatic person, I don’t know how long I have got, who does? But with every living cell in my body, I want to help others going through a similar condition. I am not cancer free but my prognosis is so much better which just goes to prove that with so many amazing therapies available there is every chance to have a real impact on cancer.
“In the early days of treatment, I wasn’t allowed to drive myself, so I was dependent on my wife to take me and although it’s a relatively short drive it still took a huge chunk out of the day. The treatment alone took eight hours.
“To be able to take myself off to the unit which is parked up at the rear of my local hospital has been a game-changer.”
There is a really welcoming atmosphere on the unit, it’s very pleasant.
“The staff are on a rota from the hospital, so the treatment is exactly the same, the only difference is it’s on my doorstep. Towards the end, it felt a bit like just popping out and filling the car up with petrol, it was so quick and easy.
“The unit feels very calm and more personal and there was always someone to talk to, including the driver, who is a big part of the team.
“After the ride, I got the photos out to show the staff on the unit just like you would do with friends. They were all so pleased for me, which made it all the more worthwhile.
The Tour de 4, which begins and ends at the Sir Chris Hoy velodrome in Glasgow, aims to help change the perception of people living with Stage 4 cancer while also raising funds for cancer charities across the UK. It has already raised more than £2 million.
Pat says: “It was the icing on the cake for me to be able to do it and I am already planning the next one. When I first started attending hospital, I was shocked by the amount of people in oncology. With cancer affecting 1 in 2 people, I realise I need to accelerate in my life rather than keep making excuses not to do things.
“I wasn’t aware of the mobile cancer care units before I started using one. I had never given them much thought. I suppose I thought I might never need the support. But I did and it was incredible, and now I am passionate about making sure others get the same opportunity to use them if they need to.
“The sheer level of qualifications among the staff on the units is outstanding. I am spreading the word wherever I can, and that has rippled through my family, friends and colleagues who were all so generous in their contributions towards the Hope for Tomorrow cause.
“I have no fear of death; we are all going to die at some stage, but I refuse to go quietly and without taking action to help those around me, especially when there is so much to do.”
