Galway music producer’s cancer diagnosis in war-torn Ukraine
.jpg?width=96&crop=1:1,smart)
KINVARA-based music producer, Pete Duffy, never imagined a romantic trip to Ukraine with his partner, Polina, would lead to an unexpected cancer diagnosis and life-saving surgery.
Earlier this year, the Dreams Loft founder travelled to Kyiv with Polina to visit her family in what was meant to be a “little romantic journey.”
Amidst the backdrop of war, he encountered a world-class health system and discovered a dangerous mass in his bladder – Stage One cancer. Within three days, it was removed, and he spent part of his recovery in a bomb shelter, while missile strikes targeted the surrounding area.
“In Ukraine, people are very proactive about their health,” Pete explains.
“Polina booked a scan for herself, and she encouraged me to do the same. I’d never had one before; I thought ultrasounds were just for babies.
“Ukrainian people are very proud and really look after themselves. They prefer to discover problems before they happen. My mind has been blown over the last while. Like most men, I thought, ‘there’s nothing wrong with me’ - until there is. I was a bit resistant, but she was persistent.”
The scan revealed a growth on his bladder. The following day, an MRI confirmed the doctor’s suspicion. He didn’t sugarcoat it.
“He said, ‘I’ve seen a lot of these. This looks cancerous,’ and I knew then I wanted it out of me. It was growing into my urethra from my kidney. I wanted it gone.”
Just three days later, he was on an operating table with one of Ukraine’s top surgeons, who removed the tumour before it had a chance to spread. The results confirmed stage one bladder cancer. But the experience was far from straightforward.
Just one night after surgery, Kyiv came under missile attack. Pete escaped to a bomb shelter, catheter still in place, listening to explosions overhead.
“It was safer underground than in the hospital building,” he says.
Caption: Cancer story…Pete Duffy in the Control Room of The Dreams Loft Recording studio.
Get the full story in this week’s Connacht Tribune, on sale in shops now, or you can download the digital edition from www.connachttribune.ie. You can also download our Connacht Tribune App from Apple’s App Store or get the Android Version from Google Play.