Glasgow family's heartbreak over dad's cancer death

John Craney, who lived in Springburn, passed away from stage four lung cancer last month (on Tuesday, March 8) after he was diagnosed with the disease in November.

His devastated wife Karen is now begging people to ensure their doctors listen to them after she claims it took eight months and five visits to his GP surgery for the 52-year-old to be diagnosed.  

Karen and John Craney

She said: "He’d went saying he thought he maybe had muscle pain in his left-hand side and the doctor said it’s probably a muscle strain and told him to keep taking his pain killers.

"He was already on pain killers for a disability he had for his back and leg, and they said it would probably go away."

Karen says the father-of-two visited the surgery again another three times as the pain got worse and despite asking for a chest x-ray was referred to physiotherapy, prescribed antibiotics for a chest infection and told to keep taking his painkillers.

In November, she claims he visited the practice for the fifth time and was then sent for same-day tests by the doctor.

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Karen said: "She said, 'I’d like to send you down to Glasgow Royal Infirmary to have some tests done' and he was kept in from that night, he had various bloods done, he had a scan done and they said they were going to wait until the next morning to do a CT scan just so it would be more in-depth.

"It was on November 19 that it was confirmed it was stage four lung cancer and bless him, he was told himself because no one was allowed to go in with him."

Karen said: "We were so angry and confused as to why when he specifically asked to go for a chest x-ray that they never sent him.

"It was at least three different doctors that he’d seen and not one of them would even just send him for a scan or an x-ray, nothing, they kept just wanting to throw tablets at him or something like physiotherapy.

"Although John had his disabilities and things, he was never a complainer, he always just thought ‘ach, I’ll be fine’, he wasn’t one for taking lots of medication so when John was asking me to make him an appointment at the doctors, that’s when we thought ‘right something must be wrong with him, he knows his own body’."

John Craney

Just 10 days after John’s diagnosis, the family received more devastating news when his 30-year-old nephew Ryan died from a heart attack.

Karen said: "That was a massive blow to him because he was so so close to Ryan, he was almost like a father figure for him.

"To be told he had cancer one week and his nephew dying the next week, it was just a massive, massive blow.

"And then the following week, that was when John was told that he’d basically been put on palliative care because there was nothing really they could do."

John underwent radiotherapy in December before starting chemotherapy in January.

His second chemotherapy session was postponed until the end of February due to a chest infection but following treatment, he was taken into Glasgow Royal Infirmary on March 2.

He died in hospital on March 8, just two days before his 53rd birthday.

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Karen said: "Doctors need to listen to people when they know their own body, and that’s what’s so so hard.

"It’s just so sad to be taken this quickly when this could have been avoided.

"I’m not saying it would have been, but it could have been avoided or he could have had more time."

After John’s death, a GoFundMe was set up in his memory to raise money to help with funeral costs.

So far, more than 40 donors have raised more than £840 and Karen says the family have been "overwhelmed" by people’s kindness.

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Karen said: "My son and daughter started the page along with their cousin and honestly, the response, I cannot believe how kind-hearted and how nice and generous people are.

"Even kids from their school that they’ve not seen in years have been donating, friends that we’ve not seen, people I don’t know they’ve even donated and honestly, I cannot thank them enough.

"Everyone who has looked at that page and shared that page, I cannot thank them enough, we are so overwhelmed by the generosity and kindness of people and it just restores your faith in humanity just knowing that there are people out there willing to help."

A spokesperson for the practice said: "Our condolences go to Mr Craney’s family and loved ones at what must be a very difficult time.

"While we cannot comment on individual patients, we would be happy to meet with Mr Craney’s family to discuss his care."

You can view the GoFundMe for John’s funeral HERE.