A tragic Edinburgh dad sadly passed away just three months after a shock cancer diagnosis that left him with debilitating back pain and unable to get out of bed.
Tam Coyle, 60, from Niddrie, had a persistent cough but when he went to the GP with chest pains he was diagnosed with pleurisy. Partner Jackie Ann Dempsey, 45, didn't believe this was the cause and fought to get medics to investigate further.
After ending up in hospital with crippling back pain, Jackie convinced doctors to do more scans and the difficult news came back that Tam had terminal cancer that spread all over his body.
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Speaking to Edinburgh Live Jackie said: "Tam was a funny person and liked to have a laugh. He loved his family and to be around them. He had six sons and was a father figure to my daughters.
"He was a big betting man on the horses and one of his wishes before he passed was to make it to see the Grand National. He told everyone to put on the horse Ain't That a Shame as he was convinced that was going to be the winner but the horse came in 17th.
"Even when he was ill he still wanted his bets put on.
"Everything happened so quickly, he had a cough so had gone to the GP and told him to get a cough bottle but it didn't help.
"Then he started getting pains losing weight and we went to the Royal Infirmary for an X-Ray which confirmed he had pleurisy and was to take co-codamol.
"He was losing weight and had a really sore back so he ended up back in hospital for back pain - he was in agony. Tam had been at my house and tried to get up out of bed and couldn't move - I and my daughter had to physically move him.
"I called the doctor and he went into the hospital via an ambulance. He had pains in his chest and I had to fight to get him a CT scan as we were waiting ages.
"He was on tablets for weeks he also had shortness of breath, chest pain and back pain but it was the back pain that was worst then on February 15 he was diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer."
She continued: "He was completely devastated - we both were. They said if he took chemo it could slow the process down and maybe give him a bit more time but it wasn't guaranteed so he chose quality over quantity
"All the family were going up to visit him every day including good friends from over the years. He chose to die in the house at the end and passed away on 21 of May."
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"He was and will always be my world I'm so lost without him.
"Tam loved his pigeons and enjoyed fishing with his brothers, one of his best friends died just before Christmas of cancer too - he had it at that time but had no idea.
"He was loved by so many and just wanted to make sure I was going to be ok.," she said.
Tam's funeral will be on June 6 June at 10.00am at Mission Church in Niddrie then on to Craigmillar Cemetery where all family and friends are welcome.
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