Rachel’s dad was fit and healthy when an incredibly simple act revealed the killer disease that left him ‘childlike’ within 48 hours. This is her message to anyone suffering like her
A woman who lost her father to brain cancer has told how she mourned her father before he even died, after the disease left the fit and healthy bus driver ‘childlike’ in just 48 hours.
Peter Pattenden, 59, from Wodonga on the New South Wales-Victoria border, died in March 2020, just months after doctors discovered tumours in his brain.
Mr Pattenden was once a fit and healthy bus driver who even made the front page of the local newspaper after completing a 52km swim of Hume Weir in 2012.
He rose to fame as the unofficial mascot of the Wodonga Raider when he dressed up as a Viking and played his electric guitar, much to the delight of the crowd.
When Mr Pattenden lost his balance while trying to put on a pair of socks in late 2019, his partner knew something was wrong and rushed him to hospital.
The next day, doctors attempted to remove the tumors during a tough, 12-hour operation at the Royal Melbourne Hospital.
He was then cleared for six weeks of radiation and chemotherapy in an attempt to shrink the tumors before undergoing two weeks of rehabilitation.
The father of four lost use of the left side of his body and soon needed help eating, going to the toilet and performing simple tasks.
Rachael Williams has opened up about how she had to grieve her father before he even died after he was diagnosed with stage four brain cancer. They are pictured together after Mr Pattenden enjoyed a meal at her home for the last time
Peter Pattenden, 59, was the unofficial mascot of the Wodonga Raiders. He has been described by his daughter as a ‘character’ and beloved bus driver
Mrs Williams said her father went from strong and fit to ‘childlike’ in less than 48 hours. Mr Pattenden is pictured in the center with his three sons and Rachel
His only daughter, Rachel Williams, 33, spoke candidly about her father’s final days, telling Daily Mail Australia that his death inspired her to live life to the fullest.
Mrs Williams said her father went from strong and fit to “childlike” in less than 48 hours, a transformation that came as a shock to his loved ones.
They celebrated what would be Mr Pattenden’s last Christmas in the wellness room of the cancer center in Albury, on a day she described as both healthy and sad.
Eventually, Mr Pattenden was transferred to palliative care, where it was decided to limit the number of visitors he was allowed to receive so he could rest.
“You could see his head was pounding,” Ms Williams said.
‘He was on so many heavy painkillers that his eyes were almost hanging out of his head.
‘You could see that he was having a hard time with the amount of people, the conversations and the fact that he had to stay awake for so long.
“At the end of the day, you just want them to feel as comfortable as possible.”
Mrs Williams said she was grieving for her father before he even died.
Mr Pattenden (pictured in hospital with his daughter Mrs Williams) was once a fit and healthy bus driver who even made the front page of his local newspaper after completing a 52km swim of the Hume Dam in 2012.
However, when he lost his balance while putting on a pair of socks in late 2019, his partner knew something was wrong and rushed him to hospital.
“It’s very hard to process. It’s an emotional chaos in your head because you’re grieving for them, but they’re still alive,” she said.
“And then almost wanting them to die because you know it’ll be better for them. I knew he had no life left in him. I knew he had no quality of life left.
‘He couldn’t get out of bed. You feel guilty because you want it to happen quickly, but it’s like, if the inevitable is going to happen, can’t it just happen already?’
Mr Pattenden passed away peacefully on March 3, 2020 at Wodonga Hospital.
Ms Williams said his death forced her to reevaluate what she wanted in her life and forced her to do the things she had previously feared.
“It really opened my eyes,” she said.
Loved ones celebrated what would be Mr Pattenden’s last Christmas in the wellness area of the cancer centre in Albury, on a day Mrs Williams described as both healthy and sad. He is pictured with his four children
“I was just living in La La Land, doing the same thing day in and day out. It was just a huge slap in the face of how quickly your life can be taken from you.
‘Nobody expected my father to die and nobody expected him to die like that, losing all his mobility and all the independence he had, it was just so unexpected.
“So I learned that lesson and I don’t want my father to die in vain. I want to change my life and do things that I’m too afraid to do and live my life a little more.
‘We eventually sold our house and moved from Victoria to Queensland. We sold our house there and bought a house here on the internet.’
Ms. Williams has shared moments from her ‘grief journey’ on TikTok where she hopes to inspire people to share their own experiences of loss.
Mr Pattenden is pictured enjoying the sun on his skin after spending three months in a hospital room
a video The video of Peter coming to her house for dinner for the last time has been viewed more than a million times on TikTok.
Hundreds of people shared in the comments their own experiences with losing a family member to the same brain tumor, glioblastoma.
“I feel like more people need to be open about talking about their grief because that’s the saying that we are stronger together. If more people are open to talking about it and normalizing it and making people feel what they need to feel, I think we’ll like [grief] would be an easier process for people,” she said.
“Living in a world where diseases like cancer are so common, it’s good to talk about it because it can mentally prepare people for something like this.”