Man cycles 2,000km to Kosovo in memory of father

Hasan Rrahmani's father, Emin, died in 2019, just weeks after being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer

A man has cycled more than 2,000km (1,242 miles) to Kosovo in memory of his father who died from pancreatic cancer.

Hasan Rrahmani, who is originally from Kosovo and lives in Haslemere, embarked on the epic journey with his neighbour Gary Lloyd on 7 September, leaving from his late father Emin's house in Hendon, north London.

They rode to Portsmouth harbour, taking the ferry to France before heading to Switzerland, crossing the Alps and into Italy, then cycling east to Ancona and crossing the Adriatic Sea to Albania by ferry.

Hasan then rode solo through Macedonia before arriving in Kosovo on Friday, raising more than £9,000 for Pancreatic Cancer UK.

Mr Rrahmani said his father, Emin, had felt "very fatigued" in November 2019 and thought it was due to his type 2 diabetes and age.

During a trip to Kosovo, Emin started to feel unwell and he returned to England.

When he arrived, Emin was in "such excruciating pain" he was picked up from the airport by ambulance.

Scans revealed he had pancreatic cancer, and as Emin's English level was conversational, his son had to the break the news to him in "one of the most difficult conversations" he had ever had.

"The words were just not coming out of my mouth," said Mr Rrahmani.

"My father understood it was cancer, but he didn't comprehend the severity.

"Telling him he had weeks left to live was devastating."

After fleeing war-torn Kosovo in 1999, the Rrahmani family had been displaced several times before arriving in the UK.

Mr Rrahmani said his family had hoped that Emin would survive the cancer after having lived through so much hardship and doing his best to shield him and his siblings from the war.

"He became a superhuman to me, hiding all the awful realities that were happening," he said.

"My father was always looking for ways he could give back to the country that had shown his family kindness."

He said Emin's pancreatic cancer diagnosis came too late for him to be eligible for treatment and he was too weak for chemotherapy.

Just three weeks after the diagnosis, Emin died aged 71.

Mr Rrahmani said: "When you lose someone so quickly, you don't have any time to come to terms with what happened. I'm still in shock."

Kerry Thomas, head of public fundraising at Pancreatic Cancer UK, said survival rates for pancreatic cancer "have barely improved in 50 years".

"Like Emin, 80% of people with pancreatic cancer are not diagnosed until after the disease has spread and lifesaving treatment is no longer possible," she added.

She said "vague symptoms" including persistent indigestion, back or stomach pain, unexpected weight loss means pancreatic cancer is "very difficult to diagnose".

"Pancreatic Cancer UK is investing in ground-breaking research and we are incredibly grateful for Hasan's support."

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