Twin sisters from Solihull are urging people to act quickly on cancer warning signs after their father died from a rare bile duct cancer that affects about two in every 100,000 people. Tasha and Serena Kainth, 30, said their father Harmi initially dismissed his abdominal pain as a pulled muscle, and doctors first treated him for acid reflux.
Harmi, a 59-year-old from Solihull, began experiencing abdominal pain in March 2022. Serena said he "wasn't worried" about it, but after a month the pain "didn't go away" and he started feeling unusually tired. By the end of July, Harmi had lost more than four stones, developed jaundice, had brown urine, lost his appetite, suffered "constant hiccups" that kept him awake, and "couldn't even walk up the stairs" without becoming breathless.
Diagnosis and hospital ordeal
Following a CT scan, a phone call on August 5 confirmed Harmi's cholangiocarcinoma diagnosis. This cancer develops in the bile ducts, small tubes that connect organs such as the liver and gall bladder. The NHS lists symptoms including jaundice, itchy skin, darker urine, loss of appetite, fatigue, vomiting, a high temperature, or stomach pain.
Serena revealed her father attended "over 100 hospital appointments" over the next two years, including multiple rounds of chemotherapy, surgical procedures, and check-ups. He also visited A&E six times for life-threatening emergencies such as sepsis. In October 2024, Harmi was admitted to a Marie Curie hospice, where he died "peacefully" a week later, aged 62.
Family's plea for awareness
Tasha told PA Real Life: "As much as people try to empathise – and our friends were amazing – but until you go through something like that yourself, it's always going to feel isolating and lonely. We're sharing our story because end-of-life care is important. Everybody's going to die one day, but it isn't really spoken about. Marie Curie is amazing at what they do and thanks to them, Dad died peacefully."
The sisters described their father as a "great dad" who was "always there" for them, though he was a "typical strong man" who disliked troubling others with his health concerns. Serena said Harmi "tried to hide" his condition from his daughters, and Tasha noted he "probably didn't want us to worry".
When symptoms persisted beyond a month, Harmi's wife Sharan urged him to see a doctor. Blood tests were conducted, and he was prescribed acid reflux medication. Tasha said initial blood tests returned "fine" results, but when his condition did not improve, later tests showed his liver functions "starting to change".
Between first symptoms and diagnosis, Tasha observed her father's health "deteriorated really quickly", saying she had "never seen anything like it". Serena added: "He'd just lie on the sofa all day because he didn't have the energy to move."
When the family learned they would face about six weeks for a referral scan, they used Harmi's employer's private medical insurance. After the CT scan, Harmi received the cancer diagnosis by phone on 5 August, four months after first seeing a doctor.
Serena recalled: "I just remember the doctor was like, 'I'm really sorry to say it's cancer' over the phone, and then he put the phone down, and Dad just burst into tears. The three of us just wrapped our arms around him and gave him a hug, then I remember saying, 'We'll look after you, it's going to be fine'. Even though I didn't know what would happen. It was just really sad."
The family was told to await contact from the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham, but by 16 August, Tasha said Harmi became "really ill" and "couldn't even move out of bed", so they called a local GP for a home visit. The doctor recommended an ambulance, which arrived six hours later and took Harmi to hospital, where staff admitted him "straight away" because they "saw how ill he was".
Tasha said: "I stayed in A&E overnight until God knows what time in the morning. It got to the point where we had to brush his teeth for him... he had rapid breathing and he was really confused too. Seeing that strong man in your life suddenly not being able to even lift himself up was hard."
The family was told Harmi "could've died" as he needed several operations to drain his bile ducts and have a stent inserted. He remained in hospital for six weeks while his condition stabilised. Serena explained: "As a daughter, one of the worst things is having to leave your dad on his own in a hospital bed after visiting hours are over. He was in tears... and you feel so helpless."
End-of-life care and grief
Over the following two years, Harmi underwent multiple cycles of chemotherapy, immunotherapy, and an unsuccessful operation to remove the tumour. The cancer progressed and spread, leading to hospice care in October 2024. Harmi died on October 16.
Tasha recalled: "All of the staff at the hospice were so lovely... which contributes so much to these situations. When I personally think of him passing, I don't feel upset. Obviously, it's heartbreaking, but I just think the way he passed was so peaceful and what he deserved, and also a relief for him because he was out of pain."
After their father's death, Serena and Tasha processed their grief differently. Tasha described battling "anticipatory grief" and then feeling "numb", while Serena, who had been a carer during Harmi's illness, felt "lost". They took part in art therapy provided by the hospice for "nearly two years", which helped them work through their grief and form friendships with others who have "gone through the same thing".
The pair are keen to raise awareness of uncommon cancers like cholangiocarcinoma. Serena urged: "As basic as it is, if you feel there's something wrong with your body, go and get checked out. You know your own body... early detection could save your life."
Marie Curie and Superdrug have found that 43% of UK adults avoid talking about death, prompting Marie Curie's 'Mani Curie' pop-up nail bars, where free manicures provide a space to discuss end-of-life conversations.
