Debra MacCuaig, 38, from Glasgow, noticed she was looking particularly tanned, but put this down to her increased use of fake tan for social events.
13:20, 01 Dec 2025Updated 13:21, 01 Dec 2025
Debra MacCuaig developed an unusual itch that she initially dismissed(Image: Kennedy News and Media)
A Scots mum believed her bronzed complexion was the result of using fake tan before being given a shocking cancer diagnosis.
Debra MacCuaig, 38, from Glasgow, noticed she was looking particularly tanned, but put this down to her increased use of fake tan for social events. After developing an itch and when her eyes began turning yellow, she suspected jaundice – leading to jokes at work that she resembled a character from The Simpsons.
Medical professionals became concerned when blood tests revealed that Debra’s bilirubin levels were abnormally high, indicating potential issues with the liver or bile ducts. As her bilirubin levels continued to rise, doctors decided to perform a Whipple’s procedure, a major operation to remove the head of the pancreas, duodenum, gallbladder and a portion of the bile duct.
The 38-year-old teacher noticed she was looking particularly tanned(Image: Kennedy News and Media)
Debra was then told that surgeons had discovered and removed a tumour at the head of her pancreas, and she would require six months of chemotherapy. Thankfully, Debra, who works as a teacher, made a full recovery after the cancer was removed on December 21st last year.
Debra said: “Before this, life was very normal. Then in October 2018 I started to get an itch. I didn’t think much of it at first but then it got worse and worse.
“I would be properly scratching my arm. I thought maybe it could be a new washing detergent or moisturiser because I have quite sensitive skin. I wasn’t too concerned.
“Then one Saturday night I just felt so run down. I said to my husband ‘do my eyes look a bit yellow?’ and he said ‘yeah they do’. I had all the symptoms of jaundice – the itching and dark-coloured urine.
“I did look a bit tanned but you wouldn’t have noticed. At that time I had something on every weekend that month so was fake tanning a bit more. I just thought I was looking a bit tanned, I wasn’t that yellow at that point.
“At work we were having a laugh about it and they were calling me a Simpsons character. I was blissfully unaware.”
When Debra’s eyes began turning yellow, she suspected jaundice(Image: Kennedy News and Media)
However, following ultrasounds, a CT scan and an MRI in November 2018, Debra discovered she had a blockage in her bile duct, which was causing her jaundice. When her symptoms didn’t improve, she underwent surgery on December 11, 2018.
During the procedure, doctors discovered pancreatic cancer and removed the tumour situated at the head of her pancreas. After six months of chemotherapy, Debra was told there was no further evidence of the disease.
But sadly, Debra was hit with a further blow when her mum Pam Grindall suddenly developed jaundice like she did.
The 65-year-old passed away from pancreatic cancer in May 2023, nearly five years after Debra herself was diagnosed with the disease. Now, Debra is urging others to always ‘trust their gut’ when they notice new, worrying symptoms.
She said: “Everything was textbook, it was so similar to me. She finished her chemo in January 2024 and was getting better and better, then in the September she went for the results of her latest scan and told her the cancer had come back in her spine and lungs.
“They told her they can’t cure it but they can treat it. We were devastated. I was seven months pregnant at the time. In March things declined pretty quickly and she passed away in May.
“You kind of feel this survivors‘ guilt and you’re annoyed that we knew all the symptoms but were still in this situation. I was angry and couldn’t believe the same kind of cancer had struck our family.
“I would tell other people to always trust your gut, if you don’t feel right then get it checked out.“