BY NUALA MCALOON
Sixty-nine-year-old Gene Torrens from Garrison was diagnosed with terminal pancreatic cancer in April this year.
A native of Lisahully in Ballyshannon, he received the devastating news a short four years after returning home from Rugby, England, to his beloved Ireland where, with his family, he had planned to enjoy a long and fulfilled retirement on the shores of Lough Melvin.
But now, rather than dwell on the physical and mental impacts of what is a cruel disease, he is a remarkably positive man who has not only accepted his illness but, along with his wife Sandra, and their children, Carl and Kate, has decided in what short time he has left, to raise both awareness and funds for what he describes as a, 'silent killing' cancer.
"We were told in April for definite that it was pancreatic cancer and that because it has already spread it couldn't be cured," Sandra explained. "Gene had been having a bit of chemotherapy but they have stopped that now because it was making him worse rather than better. He is just receiving palliative care now."
Gene first became ill last Summer and between October and April this year, he lost a staggering four and a half stone and, consequently suffered from a severe lack of energy.
"Doctors tested me for all sorts of cancers and kept telling me there was no cancer in the stomach or the bowel, but I insisted that I have more tests," Gene explained.
"They sent me to Belfast to a Dr Diamond and he told me that because of where the cancer was, at the top of the pancreas, that they couldn't operate."
Since the recent break in chemotherapy he has been a bit brighter physically but has also remained positive throughout.
"We have been able to try and keep a brave face on things, it no good been down all the while, you have got to make the best of a bad thing, haven't you?
"The doctors couldn't believe how positive we were when they diagnosed me and told me exactly that there was going to be no cure. They were surprised at how positive and, well we had accepted it, but you have to accept it."
It's with a natural sense of disappointment and heartache however, that the couple face the future.
"It's so disappointing," Gene continued. "We were just beginning to enjoy Ireland again, Kate is just doing her A-levels now and then we were just going to start enjoying life."
"Disappointment is the right word," added Sandra. "There is a disappointment that we are not going to have longer here. I will never go back to England, I will stay here but yes, it's just disappointment that when we had just begun to enjoy life - and the people around here are just fantastic, we have met such nice friends - that this happens.
"We have not been able to do what we planned", she went on. "We love touring Donegal for example. We used to enjoy eating out a lot but there is no point now because Gene can't enjoy it."
"This time last year I was up in the bog cutting turf and was as fit as a fiddle." added Gene. "Our grandson has just moved into the village and that's an awful thing because we thought when they moved into the village we would see him grow up and see him do things like join the Gaelic football team. We were looking forward to all that.
"Sandra's mum and dad have also came over since we came and are just living round the corner. They had brought their motor home over and the plan was that we would go away to Donegal every weekend."
Keeping a positive outlook is important to the family and, this week in particular has provided a focus as the Torrens prepare to host a series of fund-raising events in Garrison to raise awareness of the disease.
Yesterday, (Tuesday), the couple's grandson, Quin led a sponsored toddle through the village prior to a coffee morning, book and cake sale and face painting. The second event, a table quiz, will take place in the Bilberry Restaurant at 9pm this Friday night.
"One of main reasons we are campaigning is that 40 years ago, three per cent of people with pancreatic cancer survived but now that figure is still the same, it's still only three per cent," Sandra explained.
"You think of leukaemia and other cancers and the survival rate is so much better than it was 40 years ago but with pancreatic disease, there has been no real improvement."
In fact, pancreatic cancer has the lowest survival rate of any cancer. Pancreatic Cancer UK, the main beneficiary of the fund-raising, is determined to make a difference by providing support and information to those affected as well as raising awareness and funding research. It provides advocacy for patients and families and lobbying to achieve higher priority for pancreatic cancer.
"The main aim is to raise awareness of pancreatic cancer because, apparently too many people are diagnosed too late," Sandra stated. "Even the medical people aren't all that aware of it, it is a very difficult one to diagnose. By the time it's diagnosed, it has got a grip and once it has got a grip, especially at the top end of the pancreas, it is too late.
"So, rather than raise money for all cancers, although we are giving some to the Ulster Cancer Foundation and Cancer Research, we wanted the money to go directly to Pancreatic Cancer UK.
"We know that whatever money we raise will be of no help to Gene but we are hoping, God forbid, in 10 years time, if somebody else in the village was diagnosed, the money we are raising now will help prevent them going through what we have to go through now. Hopefully, in the future diagnosis will be so much earlier."
Tables for Friday night's quiz will cost £10 each. The band, Madness will also be donating a prize for a raffle which will follow. Donations can also be made by logging onto www.justgiving.com/torrens
As for Gene, he says he will take one day at a time and advises others in his position to do the same by enjoying what time they have left.
"Enjoy the time you have now. Enjoy the good days, take each day at a time, there is nothing else you can do. Enjoy the good days and try and ride the bad ones. But, you need your family", was his advice.
