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Tom McLean, the young father of two whose story moved many when his family took their last vacation while he suffered from terminal cancer, died Tuesday, just weeks after his 32nd birthday.
His widow, Katrina, announced his death on social media, saying, “After almost two years, Tom passed away tonight.
“Tom did not lose the battle, his cancer died when he passed away. Tom was a great husband, best friend, life partner, and dad. His memory will live on through our children. Rest in peace Tom. The battle is over. “
katrina mclean
Tom McLean died of cancer at age 32, leaving his wife Katrina and their children Max, 5, and Poppy, 1.
Tom was diagnosed with cancer in February 2019, when Katrina was four months pregnant with her second child, Poppy, and her son Max was almost 3 years old.
READ MORE:
* ‘We are on borrowed time’: Tom McLean, father of two, has stopped cancer treatment
* Living one day at a time: Hawke’s Bay family grateful for time spent with dad who has terminal cancer
* Tom McLean waiting for answers after cancer diagnosis leaves future uncertain
The heart palpitations Tom had noticed turned out to be a rare high-grade sarcoma, a mass growing in his heart.
Doctors told the family that if it were on his arm, they would amputate it, which is not an option in this case.
KATRINA MCLEAN
Tom stopped treatment in December, but lived long enough for his son Max to turn 5 in early March.
Open heart surgery and several rounds of aggressive chemotherapy and radiation therapy appeared to have mastered the cancer, but when New Zealand emerged from level 4 blockade last year, Tom discovered lumps on his head and neck.
A positron emission tomography scan revealed the worst: incurable cancer had spread throughout Tom’s body. He had months to live.
The family, who live in Hawke’s Bay, took their last vacation in August, driving a caravan across the South Island.
Following ThingsIn the story of their trip, the McLeans were inundated with offers of accommodation and support. They hoped to take another vacation around the North Island, but Tom’s condition began to deteriorate.
Shortly before Christmas, Tom decided to switch to purely palliative treatment, putting the McLeans on what Katrina called “borrowed time.”
In the months that followed, Tom celebrated Max’s fifth birthday as well as his 32nd. There were other positive points, such as when he and Katrina were able to attend a Six60 concert with friends in January.
Katrina McLean
Tom and his wife Katrina had been together for over 12 years.
But for the last week, Tom quickly went downhill.
In a blog post on March 26, Katrina said she was “quite sleepy” and “in too much pain to snuggle properly.”
He was already feeling the loss of his partner of 12 and a half years.
“I was unprepared for how much I regret for him and our lives as he progressed. I walk through the house and everything reminds me of him, our life and our future plans … I still send him normal messages and my messages are still unread. “
In a message to Things A few hours after Tom’s death, Katrina said she hated the expression “lost the battle” with cancer.
“He doesn’t honor what Tom has been through.”
Tom planned his funeral before he died and the family set aside the insurance money to pay for it, but a firm date and details have yet to be set.
