Daughters Share Father's Story to Highlight Pancreatic Cancer Symptoms
The daughters of a 58-year-old Manchester man who passed away from pancreatic cancer just six weeks after diagnosis are urging the public to learn about the warning signs of what charities describe as the "deadliest common cancer." Emilia Rocky, 27, a multimedia officer based in Bristol, and Scarlett Bielecka, 28, who works in customer relations and lives in Manchester, are respectively the step-daughter and daughter of Andrzej Bielecki, who died in February 2023.
Remembering Andrzej: A Positive and Caring Father
Scarlett fondly recalled her father as an "incredibly positive" man whom she visited twice weekly after her parents separated before she turned three. She described him as a "great" father, sharing cherished memories of wild camping trips and Andrzej teaching her to drive during her teenage years. Emilia first met Andrzej in 2018 after her mother, Suzanne, connected with him online. The couple became engaged within a year and married six weeks later in 2019. Emilia characterized Andrzej as a "warm" and "caring" individual with a "zest for life," who quickly became "instantly quite a father figure" to her.
The Long Road to Diagnosis: Years of Misunderstood Symptoms
According to Emilia, Andrzej began experiencing acid reflux and indigestion for "three or four years" prior to his diagnosis. Doctors initially advised him to treat these symptoms with indigestion tablets. By August 2022, however, Andrzej developed a second symptom: a persistent and "dull" stomach ache. Scarlett noted that Andrzej went "back and forth" to doctors for months, receiving prescriptions for more indigestion tablets in September 2022, which Emilia said "didn't really do anything."
Following blood tests that returned "normal" results, Andrzej underwent an endoscopy, which revealed a hiatus hernia—where part of the stomach moves into the chest. Doctors considered this a "plausible explanation" for his pain. Yet by mid-December 2022, with no improvement in his condition, Andrzej visited the hospital but was sent home without answers.
Crisis Point and Devastating Diagnosis
Emilia recounted to PA Real Life: "By Christmas Eve, I was at my mum's house and he was in quite a lot of pain. He'd also lost a lot of weight and was becoming jaundiced. He actually felt like he was having a heart attack, so he went back to A&E and they said that it was probably gallstones." Andrzej requested a referral for a scan, which showed a blocked bile duct and high bilirubin levels in his blood, causing the jaundice.
After being sent home again, Andrzej was referred for an MRI at the beginning of January 2023. On January 9, he received a phone call confirming his diagnosis of advanced pancreatic cancer. Emilia described learning this news as "the worst nightmare in the world."
No Treatment Options and End-of-Life Care
The family waited a week for an appointment with a consultant, who confirmed the cancer had spread and that no treatment or surgery options were available. Andrzej was given just six months to live and recommended for end-of-life care. Scarlett described hearing this news as the "worst phone call" of her life, while Emilia added: "Andrzej accepted it completely, but everyone else was in shock, disbelief, and we couldn't accept that this could have happened."
Emilia continued: "It was the worst nightmare in the world and I couldn't believe that it was real. Andrzej just wanted to live the last few months that he had as much as possible. He'd accepted what was going to happen and he wanted to spend time with family and friends."
Final Trips and Cherished Moments
Over the subsequent weeks, the daughters embarked on several last trips with Andrzej, which served as a "distraction." These included a week-long campervan holiday around Scotland and a stay at an Airbnb in Chippenham. During the latter trip, Scarlett said the family enjoyed archery, board games, and a bonfire, though she admitted getting "quite upset at points." She explained: "I'd just take a little breather in my room, then my dad would come in and we'd watch an episode of a TV series called Early Doors together. We'd just watch one episode each night and then go to bed."
Throughout this period, Emilia noted feeling "shocked" at Andrzej's deteriorating condition, which included loss of appetite, significant weight loss, vomiting, and immobility. She emphasized: "But he was always very positive and he didn't want to ever worry people or bring the mood down."
Rapid Decline and Heartbreaking Goodbyes
By mid-February, Andrzej and Suzanne visited Emilia in Bristol by train, but he appeared more withdrawn and in considerable pain. Emilia drove them back to their home in Derbyshire within days. This drastic change prompted Suzanne to contact district nurses, who urged Scarlett to come urgently to say her goodbyes.
"When I went up to see my dad, he was so ill and almost completely unrecognisable," Scarlett recalled. "He was in quite a delirious state as well, so I'm not too sure what exactly he was aware of at that time. But I remember him just saying that we had another episode of Early Doors to watch together and that we'd watch it the next day." Scarlett shared that Andrzej managed to say he loved her, and she reciprocated—marking their final interaction before his passing.
That same night, Emilia stayed over and observed that Andrzej was "restless" and experiencing "severe delirium," which she found "really worrying." She added: "It was horrible seeing him that uncomfortable." The following morning, Suzanne woke Emilia to inform her that Andrzej had passed away.
Honouring Andrzej's Legacy and Raising Awareness
In May, the family held a celebration of life instead of a traditional funeral to honour Andrzej, respecting his wish that people not cry. Following his death, Emilia approached the charity Pancreatic Cancer UK to share his story, including his desire for his ashes to be scattered on the beach at the end of the Camino de Santiago in Spain—a route he completed twice.
Both Emilia and Scarlett, along with Suzanne and Emilia's boyfriend, Jamie, completed a 100km charity walk along the same Camino route in Andrzej's honour. Emilia described this as "one of the best things" she has ever done. She stressed: "This cancer isn't anywhere near talked about enough. If Andrzej's story could at least help someone to know the symptoms of pancreatic cancer, it would make something positive come from the situation."
The Stark Reality of Pancreatic Cancer
According to Pancreatic Cancer UK, the disease is indeed the "deadliest common cancer," with more than half of patients dying within three months of diagnosis. Approximately 80% of individuals with pancreatic cancer are not diagnosed until after it has spread to other parts of the body, often rendering treatment impossible. Scarlett remarked: "It's not a cancer that people really talk about."
Emilia concluded: "If Andrzej had got diagnosed any sooner, I don't know if it would have really changed how long he had left, but it would have given him so much more time to do more that he loved. He just didn't have the time."
