0:00:25 > 0:00:28When you're a kid, your dad's a hero.
0:00:29 > 0:00:32There's no-one stronger, greater or braver than your dad.
0:00:35 > 0:00:38But there are heroes and there are superheroes.
0:00:39 > 0:00:43As you grow up, there are hundreds of stories you could tell about all
0:00:43 > 0:00:47the times your dad made you laugh, made you strong, made you feel safe.
0:00:50 > 0:00:53And that was how it was for us.
0:00:54 > 0:00:56Dad was always a superhero.
0:00:58 > 0:01:02But one day we'd learn even a superhero can fall.
0:01:13 > 0:01:17In November 2013, Dad was a disaster waiting to happen.
0:01:19 > 0:01:23Looking back now, we don't know why we didn't see it before.
0:01:23 > 0:01:27We were mid-30s, with our own lives, and we thought we didn't have
0:01:27 > 0:01:28time for Dad.
0:01:29 > 0:01:34He was 20st with advanced type 2 diabetes and atrial fibrillation,
0:01:34 > 0:01:36an irregular heartbeat.
0:01:36 > 0:01:38He had dangerously high blood pressure,
0:01:38 > 0:01:41and took handfuls of pills several times a day.
0:01:41 > 0:01:43He was nothing like the old Dad,
0:01:43 > 0:01:47and his only real hobbies now were work and food.
0:01:48 > 0:01:50Can you open your eyes for me now?
0:01:53 > 0:01:54There we go.
0:01:54 > 0:01:58We had no medical background, but we did have a clear choice.
0:01:58 > 0:02:01Fix Dad now or lose him for good.
0:02:01 > 0:02:03PHONE RINGS
0:02:03 > 0:02:05- Hello?- All right. - All right, how are you doing?
0:02:05 > 0:02:09Yeah, I've just been to see Dad and he's just getting worse.
0:02:09 > 0:02:12- It's just not good.- Oh, yes, I know.
0:02:12 > 0:02:14So we need to get together and do something.
0:02:16 > 0:02:18But where the hell do you start?
0:02:22 > 0:02:24You've got to think about it.
0:02:24 > 0:02:28What we do, we're working our arses off for big corporations,
0:02:28 > 0:02:30trying to make money, just to live our lives.
0:02:30 > 0:02:33At the same time, the man who made us who we are today
0:02:33 > 0:02:34is withering away.
0:02:44 > 0:02:47So who was Geoff?
0:02:47 > 0:02:50Who was this man who got us here, and why did he mean so much?
0:02:52 > 0:02:57Simply put, Geoff was a grafter. And beyond that, he was a fixer.
0:02:58 > 0:03:02It didn't matter how hard life got. When Geoff walked into a room,
0:03:02 > 0:03:07it all felt better. It felt fixable, even when it might not be.
0:03:08 > 0:03:13Geoff never knew his own dad, but he would do anything for his mum.
0:03:13 > 0:03:16Together with his brother, Dave, they grew up in Lewisham,
0:03:16 > 0:03:17south-east London,
0:03:17 > 0:03:21with a fierce loyalty and generosity that would come to define him
0:03:21 > 0:03:22as a man.
0:03:24 > 0:03:27All right, he wasn't always the coolest bloke in the world.
0:03:27 > 0:03:31But he tried. And somehow, in the '70s, he met our mum.
0:03:34 > 0:03:37Sadly, the marriage wouldn't last.
0:03:37 > 0:03:40Dad was working long hours and developing bad habits.
0:03:40 > 0:03:43He started drinking heavily and eating badly.
0:03:43 > 0:03:47And at the same time, his two sons were demanding a lot from him.
0:03:48 > 0:03:51Over time, Dad got himself into debt.
0:03:51 > 0:03:54We didn't know it then, but we were partly responsible.
0:03:56 > 0:03:58Dad did all the things a dad's supposed to do.
0:03:58 > 0:04:00But it took its toll on him.
0:04:02 > 0:04:04We felt this was our chance to put things right.
0:04:04 > 0:04:08So we started meeting up more to piece it together.
0:04:08 > 0:04:12- I mean, he's tried to sort himself out before and he's tried to do stuff.- Yeah.
0:04:12 > 0:04:15And it's never worked - never, ever worked. He's always gone back.
0:04:15 > 0:04:17Does anybody want any cakes?
0:04:18 > 0:04:21I just really feel like it's... Someone else
0:04:21 > 0:04:23has got to do something.
0:04:23 > 0:04:27Making this film is something that hopefully will benefit him in
0:04:27 > 0:04:31a lot of ways. But it also documents something I know.
0:04:31 > 0:04:34I know other people that are going through this exact same thing.
0:04:34 > 0:04:39So I think this project is about giving him something else in
0:04:39 > 0:04:42- his life and enriching it, really. - He's a fantastic dad.
0:04:42 > 0:04:44He's been a brilliant dad and he's a brilliant grandad.
0:04:44 > 0:04:47If we don't do something about it, no-one else is going to.
0:04:47 > 0:04:48No, exactly, yeah.
0:04:51 > 0:04:55Geoff, Geoff, Geoff, Geoff, Geoff, Geoff, Geoff, Geoff.
0:04:57 > 0:05:00- I think that's stuck. - Why are you doing it to that one?
0:05:00 > 0:05:04Because that one looks better, because it's a big wide of the whole thing.
0:05:04 > 0:05:07It's like you come up there to report. I can do it to you.
0:05:07 > 0:05:09If you want to get sick of my face being that close.
0:05:09 > 0:05:12- Do it to that one. - I'll just stick his feet up.
0:05:12 > 0:05:17- Tape is for hazard. This is hazard areas.- He is pretty hazardous.
0:05:17 > 0:05:22We're putting stuff up on the board to see what it is we know
0:05:22 > 0:05:24and don't know.
0:05:24 > 0:05:28One thing we did know is that Dad liked to eat and drink.
0:05:28 > 0:05:32He wasn't into exercise, and food had become his only real hobby.
0:05:33 > 0:05:36He wasn't sure about this whole fixing idea yet, either.
0:05:36 > 0:05:38- No, you're not allowed to film this bit.- No, we are.
0:05:38 > 0:05:40That's the whole point today.
0:05:40 > 0:05:44Dad still ate a lot of fatty, sugary foods.
0:05:44 > 0:05:46And we didn't think this was helping him.
0:05:46 > 0:05:49But even more of a challenge for us were his work patterns.
0:05:51 > 0:05:54Right, it's now two o'clock in the morning.
0:05:54 > 0:05:58I am repeating my chores around the building.
0:05:58 > 0:06:00Slightly out of breath now.
0:06:00 > 0:06:04I'm up to the third floor where most of my work is.
0:06:09 > 0:06:12"Shift workers getting too little sleep at the wrong time of the day
0:06:12 > 0:06:15"may be increasing their risk of diabetes and obesity."
0:06:15 > 0:06:17We know he already is.
0:06:17 > 0:06:20Surely having diabetes and doing that can't be a good thing.
0:06:20 > 0:06:23"A news-based and a lab-based study examined how three
0:06:23 > 0:06:27"weeks of sleep disruption affected people's metabolism and blood sugar levels."
0:06:27 > 0:06:30I don't mind. I don't mind this sort of work. It's...
0:06:30 > 0:06:33It makes the night go quicker.
0:06:33 > 0:06:36We've been tossers, in a way, towards him at times.
0:06:36 > 0:06:39We haven't been particularly selfless, the way he is.
0:06:39 > 0:06:42He makes us all look like tossers, really. Everybody around him.
0:06:42 > 0:06:45- He does.- In the way that he does things for people.
0:06:45 > 0:06:47But he makes it his problem because he does care.
0:06:47 > 0:06:51He's the most altruistic person I've ever known.
0:06:51 > 0:06:56It's what the client requires. So that's what we do.
0:06:56 > 0:07:01Why is he working so hard? This is his money problems, isn't it?
0:07:01 > 0:07:04- Why is he still having to work nights?- I know, don't know.
0:07:04 > 0:07:06I shouldn't be retired.
0:07:06 > 0:07:11Any other firm, 65 minimum, and now it's 70 they're expecting you to...
0:07:11 > 0:07:14You started work at 16 in BT, as an apprentice,
0:07:14 > 0:07:19and you did 44 years, 44 years of devoted service to that company.
0:07:19 > 0:07:22And they rewarded you handsomely, really -
0:07:22 > 0:07:24it was a good bloody gold-plated pension.
0:07:24 > 0:07:28That none of us are going to have. We will be working until we're 85.
0:07:28 > 0:07:33- You are 62 years old and you are doing 15½-hour night shifts.- 15½...
0:07:33 > 0:07:37Hold on. No, no, no. I've got to say, that is purely my own choice.
0:07:37 > 0:07:40- I don't have to do that. - We know that!- Yeah, but, no.
0:07:40 > 0:07:42I could be doing 3½-hour shifts,
0:07:42 > 0:07:45going all the way to bloody Mason and back - three and half hours.
0:07:45 > 0:07:48And then doing a 12-hour shift. I don't want to do that.
0:07:48 > 0:07:52- We know he's stubborn.- Yeah, he's very stubborn.- We know he's...
0:07:52 > 0:07:55- He is set in his ways.- Yeah.
0:07:55 > 0:08:01- We know he's not easy to deal with by a long shot.- He's a nightmare.
0:08:01 > 0:08:05- Once he digs his heels in, that's it.- Dia...
0:08:07 > 0:08:08..betes
0:08:10 > 0:08:14- Now, what is type 2 diabetes?- Um...
0:08:14 > 0:08:17- It's the second type of diabetes. - Yeah.
0:08:17 > 0:08:20We had so much to find out.
0:08:20 > 0:08:23But right now, Dad's diabetes had led to two dangerous foot
0:08:23 > 0:08:28conditions linked to the disease - Charcot's foot and diabetic ulcers.
0:08:28 > 0:08:31Dad had recently discovered that amputation was
0:08:31 > 0:08:33a serious risk for him.
0:08:33 > 0:08:38I was having plaster put on my leg to keep it from getting worse
0:08:38 > 0:08:43and I was next to a guy who was also having a plaster removed.
0:08:43 > 0:08:46And he had had his foot removed.
0:08:46 > 0:08:47And I looked at it and I thought,
0:08:47 > 0:08:50"That can't be because of diabetes, it can't be."
0:08:50 > 0:08:53That was my first realisation that what can happen,
0:08:53 > 0:08:55what diabetes can do to you.
0:08:56 > 0:09:00The problem obviously is here, these are the problem.
0:09:00 > 0:09:02- These feet.- Yeah.
0:09:02 > 0:09:04Because if we don't get this right,
0:09:04 > 0:09:06then these are going to be coming off.
0:09:06 > 0:09:09- OK, so what's causing the feet, then?- Come on, Dad.
0:09:09 > 0:09:11This is ridiculous. Charcot's foot.
0:09:11 > 0:09:14OK, so this is... The arch of his foot has just collapsed.
0:09:16 > 0:09:18As we began to open up on that board,
0:09:18 > 0:09:22the size of the task of fixing Dad was beginning to sink in.
0:09:22 > 0:09:28- Right, what is the problem with his heart? He's got a kind heart.- What?
0:09:28 > 0:09:32- He's got a kind heart.- Kind. OK, let's put some notes down.
0:09:32 > 0:09:34Irrrrrr...
0:09:34 > 0:09:37reg...ular.
0:09:40 > 0:09:43- Oh, shit.- What have you done? - That's bad.- "Heart" with an A?
0:09:43 > 0:09:47- Yeah.- English degree.
0:09:47 > 0:09:50- Hang on.- How are you going to get around that one?- My E's fallen over.
0:09:50 > 0:09:53- Yes, so...- "Hurt".
0:09:53 > 0:09:57Heartbeat. Right, so irregular heartbeat.
0:09:57 > 0:10:01- Because it's irregular, I meant to do it.- Cholesterol.
0:10:01 > 0:10:04- Stroke risk.- OK.
0:10:04 > 0:10:08- Heart attack. - Ah, his blood pressure.
0:10:08 > 0:10:12As well as having an irregular heartbeat, it beats with ferocity.
0:10:12 > 0:10:14Yeah, we're talking, like, high, aren't we?
0:10:14 > 0:10:19- So, you know, originally, a top number of over 200.- Yeah.
0:10:19 > 0:10:20Proper high.
0:10:20 > 0:10:24Like a dead man walking. That's pretty much said.
0:10:25 > 0:10:29Death, high. So, risk.
0:10:29 > 0:10:34- And for that he's on...drug, isn't he?- Warfarin.- Warfarin.
0:10:34 > 0:10:37- What has he got in the prostrate? - Uh...
0:10:37 > 0:10:40- It's swollen.- It's swollen, yeah.
0:10:40 > 0:10:44Tamsulosin, metformin, gliclazide, warfarin, statins, atenolol.
0:10:44 > 0:10:48- Yeah.- The problem is when all these things come together, isn't it?
0:10:48 > 0:10:50Who is looking at the whole picture?
0:10:51 > 0:10:56I'd like to get off the metformin, which is the sugar-lowering drug.
0:10:56 > 0:10:58Obviously blood pressure.
0:10:58 > 0:11:02I don't want to be on blood pressure pills, but then with my atrial fibrillation
0:11:02 > 0:11:06that I've got with the heart, I don't know how that's going to affect that.
0:11:06 > 0:11:10Apparently, it is quite a big thing and people that are overweight,
0:11:10 > 0:11:12a lot of people have that.
0:11:12 > 0:11:16You're only worried about blood clotting in the top chamber of your heart.
0:11:16 > 0:11:18When the diabetes thing came in and hit him,
0:11:18 > 0:11:21that then just took him down another notch.
0:11:21 > 0:11:24And you just basically thought, "Well, what's the point any more?
0:11:24 > 0:11:27"May as well enjoy my food" - food is his only comfort.
0:11:27 > 0:11:30I think if we get him in for a full probe, medical,
0:11:30 > 0:11:34to make sure, independent of the NHS and what he's been told there,
0:11:34 > 0:11:36we just get the all clear on him across the board,
0:11:36 > 0:11:40so that we're happy we're not putting him into any danger.
0:11:41 > 0:11:44When you're diagnosed, you're diagnosed a diabetic, you're told it's
0:11:44 > 0:11:47manageable, but you're told it's progressive and long-term.
0:11:47 > 0:11:48You're not told
0:11:48 > 0:11:52this is something that you could do something about in yourself.
0:11:52 > 0:11:55But would you bother making changes with your healthy eating and
0:11:55 > 0:11:58your diet and your lifestyle and all that entails
0:11:58 > 0:12:02just because you can keep it the same? You probably wouldn't.
0:12:02 > 0:12:04No, that's true, yeah. Unless you can make a big difference.
0:12:04 > 0:12:08I think... You've got to tell people you can fix it. Whatever it is. You've got to aim.
0:12:08 > 0:12:12However deluded that is, you've got to have that aim.
0:12:12 > 0:12:15That, you know, I'm going to be the first one that does.
0:12:15 > 0:12:18Perhaps I was thinking of downsizing a little bit later on and having
0:12:18 > 0:12:21- a bit more money.- It's not later on, it's a line in the sand,
0:12:21 > 0:12:24- it's now.- Yeah...- There is no later on. That's the problem, isn't it?
0:12:24 > 0:12:27You know, you'll just keep going and keep going and keep going
0:12:27 > 0:12:30until suddenly it's not doable any more.
0:12:30 > 0:12:34'But sometimes, while the people closest to us can see all the
0:12:34 > 0:12:36'problems we're facing,
0:12:36 > 0:12:39'we're so buried in it that we need them to show us the way.'
0:12:40 > 0:12:43We felt the key to motivating Dad was in his past.
0:12:44 > 0:12:48Never knowing his own dad, and the sudden death of his mum were
0:12:48 > 0:12:50things that Dad never spoke about.
0:12:50 > 0:12:53And yet somehow the camera brought all this stuff to the fore.
0:12:53 > 0:12:57Everybody had been talking about it, leaving, leaving, both saying they're going to leave.
0:12:57 > 0:13:01I came home and there was nobody at home. I went round the back of the house, I was probably -
0:13:01 > 0:13:04I can't remember - must have been about seven.
0:13:04 > 0:13:07And went round the back of the house and nobody there.
0:13:07 > 0:13:10All the doors were shut at the back and there's always
0:13:10 > 0:13:12somebody in the house, always.
0:13:12 > 0:13:15And I just started bashing on the window and crying my eyes out because
0:13:15 > 0:13:18I thought everybody had just gone and left me, I thought that was it. You know.
0:13:18 > 0:13:21And a neighbour came round and took me in,
0:13:21 > 0:13:24and a little bit later, my mum came home.
0:13:24 > 0:13:27And it was all suddenly explained to me at night.
0:13:27 > 0:13:31So I can honestly say, I never, ever knew my dad. I never did.
0:13:31 > 0:13:35My brother, Dave, he basically became - he was my father.
0:13:35 > 0:13:37He did everything for me.
0:13:38 > 0:13:42It wasn't expected or comfortable for any us,
0:13:42 > 0:13:44but in the saddest moments of Dad's life,
0:13:44 > 0:13:50he found the key to his own fight for his health, for his family.
0:13:50 > 0:13:54Several years after that, my mum passed away and that was due to
0:13:54 > 0:14:00poor medical help. She could have been saved, she didn't need to die.
0:14:00 > 0:14:02She was trying to be brave,
0:14:02 > 0:14:05she was trying to tell everybody there was nothing wrong with her.
0:14:10 > 0:14:12HE SOBS
0:14:12 > 0:14:18- She was a really strong person, wasn't she? She never wanted to put on anybody.- No, that was it.
0:14:18 > 0:14:19Nobody.
0:14:19 > 0:14:22Nobody would listen to what was really wrong with her,
0:14:22 > 0:14:24and I know that now.
0:14:24 > 0:14:28And at the time, I didn't realise, but...bloody medical
0:14:28 > 0:14:30profession at that time was absolutely useless.
0:14:30 > 0:14:34When I look back, I realise there could have been so much more,
0:14:34 > 0:14:37and I just so regret not doing more.
0:14:37 > 0:14:40- You don't want the same thing to happen to us, really.- Exactly not.
0:14:40 > 0:14:42Exactly, that's the whole point.
0:14:42 > 0:14:46And you've got to be on top of everything. Everybody has...
0:14:46 > 0:14:48You've got to be responsible for yourselves.
0:14:48 > 0:14:52If I could get through this and prove that it can be done and
0:14:52 > 0:14:55prove that all these medical problems have gone away and
0:14:55 > 0:14:58I haven't got to worry about them any more, and then people can see
0:14:58 > 0:15:02that and see it works, that would be absolutely fantastic for me.
0:15:03 > 0:15:07We made a pact that day that would make fixing Dad possible.
0:15:07 > 0:15:11Dad would do whatever we asked, without question, for the
0:15:11 > 0:15:13next 12 months.
0:15:13 > 0:15:14Is that a speaker on top?
0:15:14 > 0:15:17LAUGHTER
0:15:17 > 0:15:19It's already comedy gold, isn't it?
0:15:19 > 0:15:20LAUGHTER
0:15:22 > 0:15:25We dug out Dad's old bike.
0:15:25 > 0:15:28It turned out cycling was ideal for Dad because it didn't drive
0:15:28 > 0:15:33- too much weight through his feet.- I must be completely stark raving...
0:15:33 > 0:15:37- He's agreed, he's agreed to it.- OK.
0:15:37 > 0:15:39So that was how it started.
0:15:39 > 0:15:42Me running, Ian with the camera and Dad on the bike.
0:15:44 > 0:15:46But as we set off on our journey that day,
0:15:46 > 0:15:49we didn't know what a rough ride we were in for.
0:15:49 > 0:15:53This would mean giving up our own family time, our own hobbies.
0:15:54 > 0:15:57But most of all, it would mean arguments,
0:15:57 > 0:16:02lots and lots of arguments. Day in, day out.
0:16:02 > 0:16:04- All that house has ever been for you is a burden.- No, it hasn't.
0:16:04 > 0:16:08- Yeah, it has.- No.- It has. All it's ever done has caused grief.
0:16:08 > 0:16:11- No, it hasn't.- It has.- It hasn't. - It has.- It hasn't.- It has.
0:16:11 > 0:16:14- It hasn't.- It has.- It has not caused grief!- It has.- It's been...
0:16:14 > 0:16:19What you strive for is a roof over your head.
0:16:19 > 0:16:22It is not grief, is it? You've got it. I've got that place.
0:16:22 > 0:16:26- You haven't, you still...- No, I could have had it by now if I hadn't had done all the pissing it
0:16:26 > 0:16:29up the wall over the years. You've got to get a grip, young man.
0:16:29 > 0:16:33You've got to get a grip! Because I've had too much of this from you.
0:16:33 > 0:16:36I've had three of these instances now and I'm not having it any more!
0:16:36 > 0:16:40I will jump out of this at any time! I've really had enough of it!
0:16:43 > 0:16:45We were never going to agree on everything.
0:16:45 > 0:16:48But we all wanted his health back.
0:16:53 > 0:16:57Somehow, through what we've done so far, he's seeing a way out.
0:16:57 > 0:17:02Since we sort of started just mentioning it to him about doing the film,
0:17:02 > 0:17:05- he's become a different person. - He's changing, isn't he?
0:17:05 > 0:17:07- We're seeing the old Geoff. - Yeah, this is it.
0:17:09 > 0:17:12And as Dad got out more, his fitness improved.
0:17:12 > 0:17:14And we started to see the old Geoff again.
0:17:14 > 0:17:16HE BLEATS
0:17:16 > 0:17:18HE BLEATS
0:17:18 > 0:17:19Lots of lambs.
0:17:19 > 0:17:21HE LAUGHS
0:17:22 > 0:17:25I mean, type 2 diabetes is
0:17:25 > 0:17:27practically an epidemic at the moment.
0:17:27 > 0:17:31'Part of fixing Dad was just giving him faith in the medical
0:17:31 > 0:17:32'profession again.
0:17:33 > 0:17:37'This meant changing his GP to one who fully supported our project
0:17:37 > 0:17:41'and who could explain in real terms what was happening to Dad.'
0:17:41 > 0:17:44Type I and type 2 diabetes do tend to be lumped in the
0:17:44 > 0:17:48diabetes service thing, when in fact they're quite different conditions.
0:17:48 > 0:17:51And what drives them is quite different.
0:17:51 > 0:17:53Type 2 diabetes is much more complicated,
0:17:53 > 0:17:57in the sense that it's a... Initially, it's a problem where the body
0:17:57 > 0:18:02is producing too much insulin, but the cells don't respond correctly.
0:18:02 > 0:18:04And because the body cells aren't responding correctly,
0:18:04 > 0:18:08it keeps on rising and you end up with chronically raised levels of insulin.
0:18:08 > 0:18:11And those high levels of insulin have all sorts of effects on
0:18:11 > 0:18:16blood pressure, on uric acid, on fat metabolism. And...
0:18:16 > 0:18:20'We knew Dad had responded to the threat of amputation,
0:18:20 > 0:18:23'so we asked Bill to explain to him the systemic worst case if
0:18:23 > 0:18:26'he didn't stick with the pact.'
0:18:26 > 0:18:29The worst thing is somebody gets told you've got to touch your sugar.
0:18:29 > 0:18:33"Don't worry, we'll give you some pills." Because nobody wants to tell you it's bad, to scare you.
0:18:33 > 0:18:36It's kind of nice, it's kind, nobody wants to frighten you.
0:18:36 > 0:18:39Everything from cancer to heart attacks to strokes to
0:18:39 > 0:18:42dementia to amputation to kidney failure to blindness,
0:18:42 > 0:18:45impotence - it's all going to be much more likely.
0:18:45 > 0:18:49The real issue is, we need to try and just take the pressure off
0:18:49 > 0:18:51that system. So that the cells can resensitise.
0:18:51 > 0:18:56In nutritional terms, this means you basically cut your refined carbohydrate and
0:18:56 > 0:18:59foods that digest the sugar to as low as you can tolerate.
0:18:59 > 0:19:01As quickly as you can.
0:19:01 > 0:19:05And you try and resensitise the insulin-responding enzymes
0:19:05 > 0:19:07so that they can begin to work properly.
0:19:07 > 0:19:11And to me, this is common sense, there is no rocket science in that.
0:19:11 > 0:19:15Amazingly, there are a few nutritionists who regard that
0:19:15 > 0:19:20as complete heresy. They say, "That's absolutely wrong." You know, "We know that diabetes is
0:19:20 > 0:19:22"a condition that has a high risk of heart disease.
0:19:22 > 0:19:25"Therefore cutting fat is the most important thing we can do.
0:19:25 > 0:19:27"And, you know, sugar is necessary for you to live,
0:19:27 > 0:19:30"therefore you must maintain your sugar."
0:19:30 > 0:19:34And I think... I can see the logic, but the logic is circular and
0:19:34 > 0:19:37the biochemistry, I think, is very straightforward.
0:19:37 > 0:19:40'We were keen to know how we could apply what Bill was saying to
0:19:40 > 0:19:42'Dad's diet on a practical, day-to-day level.'
0:19:42 > 0:19:45Your breakfast is going to be eggs and avocado,
0:19:45 > 0:19:48you're going to have a nice tuna salad for lunch.
0:19:48 > 0:19:51Supper's going to be steamed veg, green veg,
0:19:51 > 0:19:56surface-growing veg. Avoid anything starchy, anything sweet
0:19:56 > 0:19:59and either fish or lamb chops, whatever you like.
0:19:59 > 0:20:01And just do that and see what happens.
0:20:02 > 0:20:05Bill had given us so much more information.
0:20:05 > 0:20:09And his most important words still rang in our ears.
0:20:09 > 0:20:12'Unless we fix this, you are driving right next to the cliff.
0:20:12 > 0:20:15'Where previously you were in the middle of the lane,
0:20:15 > 0:20:17'you've now got a wheel half over the ditch
0:20:17 > 0:20:19'and it doesn't take much to push you.'
0:20:20 > 0:20:24We wanted to know how close Dad was to that ditch.
0:20:24 > 0:20:26So we took him for a full private medical.
0:20:26 > 0:20:29- I've got some new boxers on. - Have you?
0:20:29 > 0:20:32- Yeah, first time I've ever worn boxers.- Are they tight?- No, no, no.
0:20:32 > 0:20:38- You had briefs before.- I always wear briefs, always. Yeah, always.
0:20:38 > 0:20:40I'm Dr Twort.
0:20:40 > 0:20:42I've just been hearing a bit about you,
0:20:42 > 0:20:46all sorts of exciting things on your...medical...
0:20:46 > 0:20:47Definitely not a boring case.
0:20:47 > 0:20:50Definitely not boring. Far from it...
0:20:50 > 0:20:54Of all Dad's problems, most experts seemed to agree
0:20:54 > 0:20:57that type 2 diabetes couldn't be fixed.
0:20:57 > 0:21:01- The thing is, we just want to get rid of it, don't we?- I know.
0:21:01 > 0:21:05We used Dad's medical as an opportunity to quiz the doctor further.
0:21:05 > 0:21:08I just wanted to get your thoughts on diabetes, really,
0:21:08 > 0:21:12and how far it's fixable and how far... Is it curable?
0:21:12 > 0:21:14That's a very interesting question.
0:21:14 > 0:21:16I don't think anybody knows,
0:21:16 > 0:21:19but there is evidence which...
0:21:19 > 0:21:22- offers a glimmer of hope there. - Yeah.
0:21:22 > 0:21:25And a glimmer of hope was all we needed.
0:21:25 > 0:21:30We felt Dad needed goals, so we set them in three areas -
0:21:30 > 0:21:32fitness, nutrition and mind.
0:21:32 > 0:21:36There's always danger, but I think there's a certain amount we've got to take.
0:21:36 > 0:21:39If you don't take it, you'll end up just dying anyway.
0:21:39 > 0:21:40Yeah, exactly, I know.
0:21:40 > 0:21:44- So, fitness, we're going for this Prudential 100, then.- Yeah.
0:21:44 > 0:21:45- Agreed?- Yeah.
0:21:45 > 0:21:46- Definite?- Yeah.
0:21:46 > 0:21:49Once it's up here, he's got to do it.
0:21:49 > 0:21:51I'm not thinking as I say that, to be honest with you,
0:21:51 > 0:21:53I'm just saying yes.
0:21:54 > 0:21:56I always find it's best just to say yes...
0:21:56 > 0:21:59'Ian and I knew Prudential Ride London was a major challenge.
0:21:59 > 0:22:03'Cycling 100 miles over some of the most testing Surrey Hills -
0:22:03 > 0:22:05'this was something massive to strive for.
0:22:05 > 0:22:08'A 10K was never going to cut it.'
0:22:08 > 0:22:10- Food, it's food.- All right.
0:22:10 > 0:22:13His nutrition is shit, isn't it?
0:22:14 > 0:22:17He really hasn't got a clue when it comes to nutrition.
0:22:17 > 0:22:22But I think part of it is because, for so long, like a lot of us,
0:22:22 > 0:22:25he's not been eating with the family, has he?
0:22:25 > 0:22:28- True.- He eats at work or he eats in a pub.
0:22:28 > 0:22:30How often does he actually sit down
0:22:30 > 0:22:33- and have a proper meal with the family?- Yeah.
0:22:34 > 0:22:38So, nutrition. What would be a good goal there?
0:22:39 > 0:22:42Well, just to be able to cook for the family
0:22:42 > 0:22:44and cook for the people around him.
0:22:45 > 0:22:48We needed real mental focus from Dad
0:22:48 > 0:22:50and to get his mind in the right place.
0:22:52 > 0:22:55With the goals set, one of the most important steps we took
0:22:55 > 0:22:58were to get Dad out of his current environment,
0:22:58 > 0:23:01to take him away from the habits of home.
0:23:01 > 0:23:04But we were about to take on the uncomfortable role
0:23:04 > 0:23:07of parent to our own father.
0:23:07 > 0:23:09Repeat after me...
0:23:10 > 0:23:12A very important sentiment here.
0:23:12 > 0:23:15We are not just on a lads' holiday...
0:23:15 > 0:23:18What?! We're not on a lads' holiday...
0:23:18 > 0:23:20..fixing a stubborn, overweight diabetic.
0:23:20 > 0:23:23Fixing a stubborn, overweight diabetic.
0:23:23 > 0:23:26- It's about more than just diet... - More than just diet.
0:23:26 > 0:23:28..it's also about changing the life...
0:23:28 > 0:23:31..it's also about changing the life...
0:23:31 > 0:23:33- ..that made him that way. - ..that made him that way.
0:23:33 > 0:23:36'The next morning, we set off for Spain
0:23:36 > 0:23:39'on a road trip where we would set the rules.
0:23:39 > 0:23:42'It started with the basics.'
0:23:42 > 0:23:45France is approximately 5,000 miles long.
0:23:45 > 0:23:46Thank you, thank you.
0:23:46 > 0:23:48If you go all the way round it.
0:23:48 > 0:23:50No, it's not the perimeter, it isn't,
0:23:50 > 0:23:53- it's definitely that much longer. - France is not 5,000 miles.
0:23:53 > 0:23:56- You go to Turkey in 3,000.- You've only got to look at the weather map
0:23:56 > 0:23:59- and you can see that. - What are you looking at? What site?
0:23:59 > 0:24:01I am looking on Ask.com.
0:24:01 > 0:24:04- It's definitely not 5,000 miles long, is it?- Read the bloody thing!
0:24:04 > 0:24:06The world's 5,000 miles long!
0:24:06 > 0:24:08If you look at the silly map, it's like the weather map,
0:24:08 > 0:24:12they always makes England look bigger cos we ruled the Empire.
0:24:12 > 0:24:15Now we had Dad on this boat and he couldn't go anywhere,
0:24:15 > 0:24:18we could really drill down on his eating habits.
0:24:18 > 0:24:19When did you last go out for a meal?
0:24:19 > 0:24:21Last time we went out for a meal was the other day.
0:24:21 > 0:24:24How many days ago? How many days ago?
0:24:24 > 0:24:26Yesterday.
0:24:26 > 0:24:28'We'd brought reinforcements.
0:24:28 > 0:24:30'Our stepmother Kerry and my son Angus
0:24:30 > 0:24:32'had joined the project to help.'
0:24:32 > 0:24:37You little liar. It's important, you need total honesty in this.
0:24:37 > 0:24:40All right, it was really bad, I had cod and chips.
0:24:40 > 0:24:43It does make me feel quite emotional, that.
0:24:45 > 0:24:47Bupa medical on Monday
0:24:47 > 0:24:51and he still goes and has fish and chips yesterday.
0:24:52 > 0:24:54'We were upset for more than one reason.
0:24:54 > 0:24:56'We were giving up time and money now
0:24:56 > 0:24:58'and we were feeling the setbacks more deeply.'
0:24:58 > 0:25:02- Our credibility as documentary film-makers in fixing you...- Yeah.
0:25:02 > 0:25:05If we don't fix you, we fail and everyone laughs at our documentary.
0:25:05 > 0:25:07You've got me so stressed out now.
0:25:07 > 0:25:10You should have seen me yesterday when I was running around
0:25:10 > 0:25:13like an idiot trying to get all this stuff together.
0:25:13 > 0:25:16You're always 100 miles an hour, you've just got to calm down.
0:25:16 > 0:25:18- Hark who's talking! - I'm going to help you.
0:25:23 > 0:25:27'It wasn't long before we faced Dad's first wall of tantrums.
0:25:27 > 0:25:30'And not surprisingly, they were about food.'
0:25:30 > 0:25:31I will not eat octopus.
0:25:31 > 0:25:34- If you had it with some prawns... - I will not eat octopus,
0:25:34 > 0:25:36I will not eat whelks, there are certain things I would not...
0:25:36 > 0:25:38Snails, definitely not.
0:25:38 > 0:25:41- Frogs' legs, no.- Once you're fixed, you will.- No, I won't.
0:25:41 > 0:25:44- Once you're mentally fixed... - I won't eat it.
0:25:44 > 0:25:47- You can buy it, but I won't eat it. - Have you ever tried it?
0:25:47 > 0:25:50No, I'm not going to try it. I will not eat that thing.
0:25:50 > 0:25:53'While Dad had made a lot of improvements on his diet,
0:25:53 > 0:25:57'he was now heavily reliant on our step-mum, Marilyn.'
0:25:57 > 0:26:00- Marilyn does the cooking. - Dad, that is ridiculous.
0:26:00 > 0:26:02You've got to understand, in order to come take control
0:26:02 > 0:26:04- of your health, you need to understand it...- No.
0:26:04 > 0:26:06She'll cook what I need to have cooked.
0:26:06 > 0:26:08But I won't be doing the cooking.
0:26:08 > 0:26:10- But that's ridic... Why? - Because I don't enjoy cooking.
0:26:10 > 0:26:12- You do, though.- I don't enjoy it!
0:26:12 > 0:26:14- You do...- I don't enjoy cooking.
0:26:14 > 0:26:15It's no good telling me I do, cos I don't.
0:26:15 > 0:26:18You do, I've seen you do it and you enjoy it. I don't.
0:26:18 > 0:26:20It's the sort of thing I wouldn't want to spend time on.
0:26:20 > 0:26:23- I spend my time eating it. - Exactly, that's the problem.
0:26:23 > 0:26:25- That's your entire issue. - Yes, OK, then.
0:26:25 > 0:26:28That's not going to change, I'm not go to start cooking something.
0:26:28 > 0:26:30Some people enjoy doing that, cooks enjoy doing that, I don't.
0:26:30 > 0:26:34- That is ridiculous... - You can argue as much as you like,
0:26:34 > 0:26:36but I'm never going to be cooking regularly.
0:26:36 > 0:26:38You can't rely on other people to cook your meals.
0:26:38 > 0:26:41Marilyn relies on me to go to work and earn the money.
0:26:41 > 0:26:42I rely on her to cook me a meal.
0:26:42 > 0:26:45She'll cook me whatever I need to have cooked.
0:26:45 > 0:26:48I'm not saying that as a chauvinist pig or anything,
0:26:48 > 0:26:51it's what it boils down to, that's our functions in life.
0:26:51 > 0:26:53I will do what I do already.
0:26:53 > 0:26:56- Which is what?- Which is work.
0:26:56 > 0:26:58Get the money in, do what I have to do.
0:26:58 > 0:27:00All right, I understand it, I do understand it,
0:27:00 > 0:27:04I understand what I need, but I'm not going to be doing it,
0:27:04 > 0:27:05so what's the problem?
0:27:07 > 0:27:09'But this was about more than just cooking.
0:27:09 > 0:27:13'If Dad was going to get better, this was a battle we couldn't lose.'
0:27:13 > 0:27:15Why do they not put, like they used to put,
0:27:15 > 0:27:18a bloody sign on telling you what does what?
0:27:18 > 0:27:21That's one, two, three, four, five.
0:27:21 > 0:27:23There's only four things.
0:27:23 > 0:27:25All right, we've got raw frittata for dinner
0:27:25 > 0:27:27cos nobody can turn the cooker on.
0:27:27 > 0:27:30What have I done? Help, help! It's gone off.
0:27:30 > 0:27:33Turn that one, I defy you to turn that one on.
0:27:33 > 0:27:35Hang on, hang on, dizzy. Dizzy, dizzy.
0:27:35 > 0:27:37Are you all right?
0:27:37 > 0:27:39Oh, my back is killing me!
0:27:41 > 0:27:42It looks solid on the...
0:27:42 > 0:27:44That top one.
0:27:44 > 0:27:47- Let's go, Dad.- It feels I should have candles on it.
0:27:49 > 0:27:53Once you've tried this, you will not want anything else
0:27:53 > 0:27:56for the rest of the day cos you'll probably be being sick.
0:27:59 > 0:28:01Right, I need something to serve it up with.
0:28:16 > 0:28:19Despite the challenges, sometimes it's funny
0:28:19 > 0:28:22how just a change of scene can change a situation...
0:28:23 > 0:28:27..and open up a whole world of new possibilities.
0:28:29 > 0:28:31This looks brilliant, I can't wait.
0:28:31 > 0:28:33You're thinking of going away...
0:28:36 > 0:28:38You bugger.
0:28:38 > 0:28:39What have you got me into?
0:28:41 > 0:28:43For the legs, OK?
0:28:54 > 0:28:56Get in there, you...!
0:28:57 > 0:29:00- Oh, dear!- That was brilliant.
0:29:02 > 0:29:05This was a world where fixing Dad was possible.
0:29:05 > 0:29:08It was a world where anything was possible.
0:29:08 > 0:29:12Where the can'ts and won'ts and impossibles of home
0:29:12 > 0:29:14seemed a long way away.
0:29:14 > 0:29:17This is absolutely glorious. It really is...
0:29:18 > 0:29:19..the most fantastic day.
0:29:19 > 0:29:23The mind is busy. Set the thoughts just to one side.
0:29:24 > 0:29:26And turn the focus to the breath.
0:29:28 > 0:29:32The trip had brought us closer to understanding Dad's problems.
0:29:32 > 0:29:34It had brought us closer together.
0:29:36 > 0:29:37But more than that,
0:29:37 > 0:29:41it had given Dad the sense of adventure he'd long ago forgotten.
0:29:41 > 0:29:42Whay!
0:29:46 > 0:29:48Yes!
0:29:48 > 0:29:50And this was what he'd needed all along.
0:29:50 > 0:29:54It was that sense of identity of family, of belonging,
0:29:54 > 0:29:57that had brought Dad back to us.
0:30:07 > 0:30:10We couldn't have done it if you hadn't played ball.
0:30:10 > 0:30:14Well, yeah, it's only for me, isn't it? It's not for anybody else.
0:30:14 > 0:30:16At the end of the day, it's what it's all about, really.
0:30:16 > 0:30:19You've done it for me and, you know...
0:30:27 > 0:30:28We love you.
0:30:28 > 0:30:30And I love you...
0:30:31 > 0:30:33I can't thank you enough.
0:30:36 > 0:30:37At Dad's medical,
0:30:37 > 0:30:41Dr Twort had talked about a glimmer of hope for diabetes.
0:30:41 > 0:30:45The evidence he'd mentioned was a study being carried out
0:30:45 > 0:30:47by Professor Roy Taylor in Newcastle.
0:30:47 > 0:30:49Here we had a distinguished professor
0:30:49 > 0:30:54who was successfully reversing type 2 diabetes in many patients.
0:30:54 > 0:30:56We were in luck.
0:30:56 > 0:30:58Outside of his controlled study,
0:30:58 > 0:31:00Professor Taylor had agreed to assess Dad.
0:31:00 > 0:31:02All ready for him to go.
0:31:02 > 0:31:04Get that scan running.
0:31:06 > 0:31:09'Under our supervision, and Dr Warrilow's guidance,
0:31:09 > 0:31:13'Dad had lost a lot of weight and reduced his medications.
0:31:13 > 0:31:15'But we wanted to fix him,
0:31:15 > 0:31:19'and today we'd find out how close we were to doing just that.'
0:31:20 > 0:31:22# Goodbye, type 2
0:31:22 > 0:31:26# Oh, it's time to go Ba-boo-bi-da-boo... #
0:31:26 > 0:31:28You do ba-boo-bi-da-boo
0:31:28 > 0:31:30# It's goodbye, type 2, yeah
0:31:30 > 0:31:33# It's time to go...
0:31:34 > 0:31:35# Goodbye... #
0:31:35 > 0:31:38No, it's ba-boo-bi-da-boo.
0:31:39 > 0:31:41I'm going to miss my appointment.
0:31:41 > 0:31:43# I'm going to miss my appointment
0:31:43 > 0:31:45# I'm going to miss me scan. #
0:31:45 > 0:31:48It's costing millions of pounds to arrange this for me today
0:31:48 > 0:31:49and we're going to miss it.
0:31:49 > 0:31:53Now what's he doing? He's only got to pick up some poxy batteries.
0:31:53 > 0:31:56- Both shops are out of AAs. - You're joking me!
0:31:56 > 0:31:59So, it's the opening at the back, isn't it?
0:31:59 > 0:32:04- Yes,- Oh, there's one there - no, it's shut. - You want a petrol station.
0:32:04 > 0:32:06A petrol station will rip you off.
0:32:06 > 0:32:09Well, it doesn't matter, you've left it too late, like always.
0:32:09 > 0:32:12- If you'd organised it... - Oh, please ... off!
0:32:12 > 0:32:13If you'd said to me yesterday,
0:32:13 > 0:32:16I'd have picked up as many batteries as you'd wanted.
0:32:16 > 0:32:18- I said I needed batteries. - You didn't. I asked you.
0:32:18 > 0:32:21I said, do you need batteries? You said, no, no, no.
0:32:21 > 0:32:23He did say he needed batteries.
0:32:23 > 0:32:26- Not while I was at the... - You're the runner.
0:32:26 > 0:32:28- Left at the roundabout.- I've got to be in the scanner at 8.30.
0:32:28 > 0:32:31- That's fine, Dad.- What time did they tell us to get there?
0:32:31 > 0:32:35They said don't bring that cantankerous bastard before 8.30.
0:32:35 > 0:32:37Who's saving your life? Me and Ian.
0:32:37 > 0:32:41Saving your life. Let's just get this in perspective.
0:32:41 > 0:32:44How do you repay us? With all this bullshit.
0:32:44 > 0:32:46You'd have me running up and down stairs
0:32:46 > 0:32:49- with my heart going 20 to the dozen. - That's part of saving you, isn't it?
0:32:49 > 0:32:52Otherwise, you'd be lying on your back eating Wotsits.
0:32:53 > 0:32:55More relaxed, though.
0:32:57 > 0:33:00We were all in good spirits about meeting Professor Taylor.
0:33:00 > 0:33:04The mere idea that this disease could somehow be reversed
0:33:04 > 0:33:06was driving us forward.
0:33:07 > 0:33:11- Pleased to meet you. - Glad to meet you, Jeff. Hello.
0:33:11 > 0:33:12Hello.
0:33:12 > 0:33:16'From the moment Professor Taylor began to talk, we were encouraged.
0:33:16 > 0:33:19'It was as if we were talking about a totally new disease.
0:33:19 > 0:33:23Type 2 diabetes is not a disease of obesity per se -
0:33:23 > 0:33:26type 2 diabetes is a disease of carrying around
0:33:26 > 0:33:28just a few extra pounds of fat.
0:33:28 > 0:33:32- Can I shut the door? I've got people looking at me.- Not really, Dad.
0:33:32 > 0:33:35'To have achieved the weight that you've achieved,
0:33:35 > 0:33:38'it was almost nothing to do with exercise.
0:33:38 > 0:33:40'Certainly moving down from 20 stone,
0:33:40 > 0:33:43'that's all in food consumption.
0:33:43 > 0:33:46'If people want to lose weight, having become overweight,
0:33:46 > 0:33:49'they can't exercise it away.'
0:33:50 > 0:33:53- How's that? Are they in the right place?- Yeah.- Yeah?
0:33:53 > 0:33:56'Quite a few of my patients come along and say, "I hate my diabetes.
0:33:56 > 0:33:59'"What can I do to get rid of it?"
0:33:59 > 0:34:01'And this is how they can get rid of it.'
0:34:04 > 0:34:06OK, here we go, so, can you breathe in?
0:34:07 > 0:34:08And out.
0:34:10 > 0:34:11Breathe in.
0:34:12 > 0:34:13And out.
0:34:15 > 0:34:16Breathe in again.
0:34:17 > 0:34:19Breathe right out.
0:34:19 > 0:34:22- And stop there just a moment.- OK.
0:34:23 > 0:34:25'We'd put Dad through that scanner
0:34:25 > 0:34:28'to measure how much fat was left on his liver and pancreas
0:34:28 > 0:34:31'and to what extent he was diabetes free.
0:34:33 > 0:34:36'Nothing could have prepared us for what happened next.'
0:34:36 > 0:34:39- Can we switch this off for a second, please?- Yes. Yes, it's fine.
0:34:50 > 0:34:53When your whole world hangs on fixing Dad,
0:34:53 > 0:34:56there's one word you can't afford to hear.
0:34:57 > 0:34:59And we'd just heard it.
0:35:09 > 0:35:12We got to find...we've got to find the positives in here.
0:35:12 > 0:35:15There is no definitely useful information
0:35:15 > 0:35:17which can be given just now.
0:35:17 > 0:35:20The possibility is there that it's a renal cell carcinoma.
0:35:20 > 0:35:23Around 72 out of every 100 people with kidney cancer
0:35:23 > 0:35:26live for at least a year after they are diagnosed.
0:35:26 > 0:35:2956 out of every 100 people live for at least five years,
0:35:29 > 0:35:33and about half live for at least ten years after they are diagnosed.
0:35:38 > 0:35:43Dad being diagnosed with kidney cancer was horrible for all of us.
0:35:44 > 0:35:46But Dad took it harder than anyone.
0:35:50 > 0:35:54He got the whole family together in Scotland.
0:35:54 > 0:35:57But even surrounded by the people that loved him,
0:35:57 > 0:35:59Dad seemed lonely and scared.
0:36:11 > 0:36:15One day, as I say, I'm feeling elated,
0:36:15 > 0:36:19and then suddenly it just goes, and I think, it's just I'm starting
0:36:19 > 0:36:21- to think about all the things that, you know...- What?
0:36:21 > 0:36:26- ..that you're going to leave behind. - No. You don't need to think about that yet. You don't need to think...
0:36:26 > 0:36:29You are not there. You're just not there, Dad. All right? I know
0:36:29 > 0:36:31you're going to start feeling like that, but you must not start.
0:36:31 > 0:36:34You're not there. You've got our support.
0:36:34 > 0:36:37'In the face of cancer, we all felt lost.
0:36:39 > 0:36:41'If we ever had a moment of doubt, it was now.
0:36:43 > 0:36:46'We put a brave face on for Dad, but after everything we'd done
0:36:46 > 0:36:51'with him over the last year, we knew we could lose him just as fast.
0:36:51 > 0:36:52'And he knew it too.'
0:36:52 > 0:36:56BAGPIPES PLAY Auld Lang Syne
0:36:57 > 0:37:00- TEARFULLY:- There's too many people out there with this problem.
0:37:00 > 0:37:01And there doesn't need to be.
0:37:05 > 0:37:11'I just hope and pray that I can do something to help anybody else
0:37:11 > 0:37:13'to get through this,
0:37:13 > 0:37:18'and to fight it. Just don't give in, keep on trying.'
0:37:18 > 0:37:21HE SOBS
0:37:36 > 0:37:40Well, life went on, but the project almost came to a stop.
0:37:40 > 0:37:44Suddenly we found we had a very different battle on our hands.
0:37:44 > 0:37:47Dad threw himself back into the night shifts,
0:37:47 > 0:37:51but the dark thoughts of what might happen kept creeping in.
0:37:51 > 0:37:54I am just absolutely petrified of this.
0:37:54 > 0:37:56I'm really, really scared silly.
0:37:58 > 0:38:01But in the midst of all this, there were positives.
0:38:01 > 0:38:04The diabetes scan meant we'd found the cancer early,
0:38:04 > 0:38:07and Dr Warrilow had referred Dad to Ben Challacombe -
0:38:07 > 0:38:10one of the best urological surgeons in the world.
0:38:10 > 0:38:14Geoff, the operation is going to take about two to three hours -
0:38:14 > 0:38:19it depends a little bit on how easy it is to line things up.
0:38:19 > 0:38:23You've got a small tumour on the sort of outer part
0:38:23 > 0:38:25of the right kidney.
0:38:26 > 0:38:30The plan today is to remove this small mass -
0:38:30 > 0:38:35it's about the size of a 50p piece - it's sort of mainly in,
0:38:35 > 0:38:38and a little bit sticking out of the kidney, using the da Vinci robot.
0:38:38 > 0:38:42'Living my life as I did, with all that weight and all the drink
0:38:42 > 0:38:44'and everything else, wasn't going to do any good, was it?
0:38:44 > 0:38:47'You think it's just diet, you think it's just fat, you think it's just
0:38:47 > 0:38:51'putting on weight, you think it's diabetes, but it could do anything.
0:38:51 > 0:38:54'It is the whole lifestyle which affects your life.
0:38:54 > 0:38:56'That's it, isn't it? You are what you eat.'
0:38:56 > 0:38:57You're not arguing for once!
0:39:07 > 0:39:11'So fixing Dad hung in the balance for four long hours.
0:39:12 > 0:39:15'Until finally we got the news we'd hoped for.'
0:39:15 > 0:39:17It went really well.
0:39:17 > 0:39:21Um, it was difficult - one of the more difficult ones that we do,
0:39:21 > 0:39:22that I've done.
0:39:22 > 0:39:27Because the tumour was entirely inside the kidney,
0:39:27 > 0:39:29wasn't really sticking out to any great extent.
0:39:29 > 0:39:32I thought it would be a little bit more.
0:39:32 > 0:39:33But it's all come out cleanly,
0:39:33 > 0:39:37we used the ultrasound machine to localise it.
0:39:37 > 0:39:41I think it probably is, um, a cancerous type of tumour
0:39:41 > 0:39:45- but, in a way, that means it was worth doing.- Absolutely.
0:39:45 > 0:39:49And it wasn't done unnecessarily.
0:39:49 > 0:39:54And in that situation, it's almost always all that he needs done.
0:39:55 > 0:39:59At this difficult time, we were overwhelmed by the messages
0:39:59 > 0:40:02of support from the diabetic community.
0:40:02 > 0:40:03As Dad recovered,
0:40:03 > 0:40:07Ian and I used the time to find out more about the wider problem,
0:40:07 > 0:40:10'from some of the most eminent names in UK health,
0:40:10 > 0:40:13'who really devoted their lives to one thing -
0:40:13 > 0:40:17'the health and wellbeing of people across the UK.'
0:40:17 > 0:40:22It's not just a few people who have succumbed, if you like.
0:40:22 > 0:40:26It's the whole population. So you either have to say,
0:40:26 > 0:40:29there's been a national collapse in willpower, or you say,
0:40:29 > 0:40:32wait a second, the world has changed.
0:40:32 > 0:40:36The current dietary guidelines actually increase the risk of
0:40:36 > 0:40:39developing type 2 diabetes and obesity because
0:40:39 > 0:40:41there is too much carbohydrate in that guideline.
0:40:41 > 0:40:46And we know that carbohydrate drives insulin more than protein,
0:40:46 > 0:40:47more than fat.
0:40:47 > 0:40:50Insulin is a fat-storing hormone, and is also the hormone
0:40:50 > 0:40:54that drives the risk of developing type 2 diabetes.
0:40:54 > 0:40:56The reality is that the science has now evolved,
0:40:56 > 0:40:59we now have a better understanding of the relationship between
0:40:59 > 0:41:03what we eat and its relationship to poorer health outcomes.
0:41:03 > 0:41:07And when armed with that knowledge, we have a moral imperative to act.
0:41:07 > 0:41:10We're used to action, as doctors, you know, we have to act.
0:41:10 > 0:41:13When you've got someone, something's going on, we get on with it,
0:41:13 > 0:41:16and it's very frustrating when politicians and civil servants
0:41:16 > 0:41:19don't seem to have that sense of urgency.
0:41:19 > 0:41:24It's the duty of our politicians to protect its citizens and
0:41:24 > 0:41:29children from the manipulations and excesses of the food industry.
0:41:29 > 0:41:31This could be regulated,
0:41:31 > 0:41:35and no politician in a democracy wants to do this.
0:41:35 > 0:41:39It cuts off the funding from the food industry,
0:41:39 > 0:41:42it cuts off the voters from them - very potently.
0:41:42 > 0:41:44This is not a popular thing,
0:41:44 > 0:41:46and it's one of the ways in which democracy
0:41:46 > 0:41:50is not a terribly effective form of society to get things done.
0:41:53 > 0:41:56Dad took a while to get properly back on his feet.
0:41:56 > 0:42:00He was shaken up by the cancer and became withdrawn again.
0:42:00 > 0:42:03The only way to bring him back was to give him
0:42:03 > 0:42:07a problem much bigger than his own.
0:42:07 > 0:42:10This meant throwing Dad right into the heart of it.
0:42:10 > 0:42:13It meant training for the benefit of others and speaking out
0:42:13 > 0:42:17on their behalf. And this took a change in tone from our side.
0:42:17 > 0:42:21You've got this idea in your head that you're not good enough
0:42:21 > 0:42:22to get anything better.
0:42:22 > 0:42:24Who is in a better position than you
0:42:24 > 0:42:27to deliver the diabetic's perspective?
0:42:27 > 0:42:293.5 million diabetics.
0:42:29 > 0:42:32Speaking is something that you can learn.
0:42:32 > 0:42:33And speaking up and talking to people.
0:42:33 > 0:42:36I must admit, it is something I never,
0:42:36 > 0:42:39ever thought I could do, ever, cos I'm terrible at it.
0:42:39 > 0:42:41Just imagine, how many other things there are
0:42:41 > 0:42:44that you think you can't do, that you CAN do.
0:42:44 > 0:42:47We need you to step up to this now, we need you to say, right,
0:42:47 > 0:42:50- I CAN bloody do this.- Do what?
0:42:50 > 0:42:53I can stand up, I can be the diabetics' champion, I can do this.
0:42:53 > 0:42:56- The diabetes is one thing, but... - But you can make a choice, can't you?
0:42:56 > 0:42:57And all those beliefs that have held...
0:42:57 > 0:43:00There may be tightly held beliefs from the past that creep back in
0:43:00 > 0:43:04sometimes, but you can say to yourself, "That was the old me.
0:43:04 > 0:43:07"The new me is taking it forward on that stage and is going to
0:43:07 > 0:43:11"tell people what they need to do to conquer type 2 diabetes."
0:43:13 > 0:43:16We had no doubt now that Dad could do this.
0:43:16 > 0:43:19Type 2 diabetes was in his sights.
0:43:19 > 0:43:21I want you to get to a point where you say,
0:43:21 > 0:43:24"Actually, my boys put me here, but I'm the one they want to see,
0:43:24 > 0:43:27"I'm the one that should be proud of this because I've got here,
0:43:27 > 0:43:30"I've done everything they've asked, and I'm bloody well here,
0:43:30 > 0:43:34"and now it's me that gets the opportunity to change the world."
0:43:35 > 0:43:37'In the unlikely event of an emergency,
0:43:37 > 0:43:41'follow the instructions broadcast over the public address system.'
0:43:41 > 0:43:43How many millions of pounds do we spend on this thing?
0:43:43 > 0:43:46And at the end of the day it's because I'm eating the wrong stuff,
0:43:46 > 0:43:49I'm drinking the wrong stuff, I'm doing everything wrong myself.
0:43:49 > 0:43:53Exactly. More than 90% of diabetes sufferers have type 2.
0:43:53 > 0:43:55And if there is a way of fixing that, then surely it's
0:43:55 > 0:43:58something we need to look into and we need to challenge.
0:44:06 > 0:44:10'I had to scare myself by seeing what was going on and then
0:44:10 > 0:44:13'realising that you lose your limb and then shortly after that
0:44:13 > 0:44:16'all your organs start to collapse. That terrifies you.'
0:44:17 > 0:44:21'We booked Dad as a speaker at conferences around the world.
0:44:21 > 0:44:23'But this would be a journey of discovery,
0:44:23 > 0:44:26'and first we needed to ask some questions.
0:44:26 > 0:44:30'The most common discussion on this disease was who's to blame.
0:44:30 > 0:44:33'For us, this wasn't about blaming anyone.
0:44:33 > 0:44:36'For us, it was about finding out what could be done.'
0:44:36 > 0:44:38The title of our documentary is Fixing Dad,
0:44:38 > 0:44:41so we're trying to fix as much about him as we can.
0:44:41 > 0:44:45- The diabetes type 2 is probably the hardest one for us to fix.- Yes.
0:44:45 > 0:44:47But what do you think about that?
0:44:47 > 0:44:50Maybe in the future, maybe in the future.
0:44:50 > 0:44:55Now, the big discussion is about, er, surgery, bariatric surgery.
0:44:55 > 0:44:59Should we not be trying to encourage people to not get to that state,
0:44:59 > 0:45:01- where you need surgery?- Yes, yes.
0:45:01 > 0:45:04One of the biggest problems we've had with my dad was trying to
0:45:04 > 0:45:06get him up off the sofa in the first place.
0:45:06 > 0:45:09People who have depression, who have
0:45:09 > 0:45:14a severe form of depression, called major depression,
0:45:14 > 0:45:18their risk of developing diabetes is increased by about 70%.
0:45:18 > 0:45:22The funny thing is, if you have diabetes but you don't know it,
0:45:22 > 0:45:26- then you're not MORE likely to be depressed.- OK.
0:45:28 > 0:45:30'So, our perception of ourselves
0:45:30 > 0:45:32'and our own state of health IS important.'
0:45:32 > 0:45:36This is a disease which does not make your life impossible,
0:45:36 > 0:45:39and it affects people in their 30s, 40s,
0:45:39 > 0:45:4250s, who just live with that, but you have to do something
0:45:42 > 0:45:45in your life, something we do not have a pill for.
0:45:46 > 0:45:50'Over the course of those few weeks, we had opened Dad's eyes
0:45:50 > 0:45:52'to the scale of the problem.
0:45:52 > 0:45:56'We had learned about attitudes to type 2 diabetes all over the world.
0:45:58 > 0:46:00'So on our return to the UK,
0:46:00 > 0:46:03'we knew our challenge would be to put this to good use.'
0:46:03 > 0:46:07But we got back to a cautionary message from Dad's cardiologist.
0:46:07 > 0:46:11As Dad prepared for his 100-mile bike ride,
0:46:11 > 0:46:14he had been getting some breathing problems.
0:46:14 > 0:46:17We were almost relieved that a health professional had
0:46:17 > 0:46:19uttered a word of caution on this.
0:46:19 > 0:46:21This is all about me finishing...
0:46:21 > 0:46:24You fall off and hurt yourself, it's your fault.
0:46:24 > 0:46:27Right, OK, I'll read you this, then, what the cardiologist...
0:46:27 > 0:46:31Mainly the last page of this because he talks about the fact
0:46:31 > 0:46:34you felt a bit dizzy, all that sort of stuff,
0:46:34 > 0:46:36the fact you're losing weight, it's all been good.
0:46:36 > 0:46:38But what do you think about dizziness?
0:46:38 > 0:46:42Me and Ian have been talking about it and we are worried about
0:46:42 > 0:46:45- you doing this ride on Sunday.- Yeah, but it's not your decision, is it?
0:46:45 > 0:46:48- Well, it's our project, Fixing Dad. - It's your project,
0:46:48 > 0:46:51well, shut the project, then.
0:46:51 > 0:46:54I haven't just trained for the last seven months to do this,
0:46:54 > 0:46:58to turn round and say I'm not going to do it because some doctor's covering his arse.
0:46:59 > 0:47:02My dad's defiance wasn't without doubt.
0:47:02 > 0:47:05The first hurricane of the Atlantic storm season,
0:47:05 > 0:47:10Hurricane Bertha, had been upgraded and was heading for the UK.
0:47:10 > 0:47:15It was August, and Dad was watching his luck dive all over again.
0:47:15 > 0:47:16'..particularly on Sunday,
0:47:16 > 0:47:19'where we could see some disruptive wind and rain.'
0:47:30 > 0:47:33If there is one bit of your body you haven't properly warmed up,
0:47:33 > 0:47:37you just feel it on the bike the whole way.
0:47:38 > 0:47:39How are you feeling?
0:47:39 > 0:47:41Er, well, stressed.
0:47:41 > 0:47:45It's the time to kind of stretch and warm up his joints.
0:47:45 > 0:47:49- Have you done your warm-up? - Don't give me ... warm-up,
0:47:49 > 0:47:50after I've been running around
0:47:50 > 0:47:52trying to get you two ... sorted out.
0:47:52 > 0:47:55- You look like you're ready, Dad. - Ready? Ready for nothing.
0:47:55 > 0:48:00- I feel crap.- Lean forward on the bike. On the bike, on the bike.
0:48:00 > 0:48:04'There were thousands of people in London for the event.
0:48:04 > 0:48:07'But we couldn't help wondering whether they were ready for
0:48:07 > 0:48:08'the diabetics' champion.'
0:48:08 > 0:48:14# Oh, God, who we've become cannot be undone. #
0:48:16 > 0:48:19This is madness. I really shouldn't be doing this.
0:48:19 > 0:48:23- I really, really shouldn't. - Don't say that.- It's getting...
0:48:23 > 0:48:25Everything has been... absolute manic.
0:48:26 > 0:48:28Now, looking at the weather outside,
0:48:28 > 0:48:31we are going to get a bit wet at some time.
0:48:31 > 0:48:33There is no question about that.
0:48:33 > 0:48:38# Who we've become cannot be undone
0:48:53 > 0:48:57# O Lord, Jesus come... #
0:49:01 > 0:49:03- MUSIC STOPS ABRUPTLY - Where's the arms?
0:49:06 > 0:49:09All right, just so we don't get soaked at the very start.
0:49:09 > 0:49:13Looks like it might only be a little shower. That look good? Cool?
0:49:13 > 0:49:15'Geoff, you are the picture of health.
0:49:15 > 0:49:18- 'Thank you very much.- You are Kent's answer to George Clooney.
0:49:18 > 0:49:19'I like to think so!
0:49:19 > 0:49:21'What a transformation. Geoff,
0:49:21 > 0:49:25- 'I mean, you're just exuding energy now.- You're a picture of health.
0:49:25 > 0:49:28'And all this training is all for one thing -
0:49:28 > 0:49:31'the Prudential RideLondon. You're going to do a 100-miler.
0:49:31 > 0:49:35- 'Absolutely.- Could you have imagined that this time last year?- No way.
0:49:35 > 0:49:39'When it was first mentioned it was, I just laughed, it had to be a joke.
0:49:39 > 0:49:41'But, no, he was adamant we were going to do it.'
0:49:41 > 0:49:45# But our love is worth the war
0:49:47 > 0:49:54# If you'll only surrender your heart
0:49:55 > 0:50:01# Why keep struggling so hard?
0:50:02 > 0:50:07# One look in my eyes You'll know... #
0:50:07 > 0:50:09Yeah, I can hear you now, yeah.
0:50:09 > 0:50:12We're stuck in Richmond Park, everybody's stuck,
0:50:12 > 0:50:14the whole thing's come to a halt.
0:50:15 > 0:50:17Cos a flood's going through it.
0:50:17 > 0:50:21..middle of the road, there is too much water.
0:50:21 > 0:50:23RAIN LASHES
0:50:25 > 0:50:29- We're heading off, we're about, what, 25 miles in?- Yes, 25 miles in.
0:50:29 > 0:50:33- What park are we in?- Hampton Court now. This is Hampton Court.
0:50:34 > 0:50:36Not so much that time.
0:50:36 > 0:50:39It was a relief when Dad got to the top of Newlands Hill.
0:50:39 > 0:50:41But when he stopped, he was having trouble.
0:50:41 > 0:50:43I've got my breathing...
0:50:43 > 0:50:47- Have you? Now?- It's always when I stop.- That was a hard hill.
0:50:47 > 0:50:50A little bit worried about Dad because he's stubborn,
0:50:50 > 0:50:52but he's not breathing properly.
0:50:52 > 0:50:56We are at the top of Newlands Hill, a really hard climb,
0:50:56 > 0:50:58I felt like my face was going to explode.
0:50:58 > 0:51:00Yeah... Yeah.
0:51:02 > 0:51:04At the moment I'm having trouble breathing...
0:51:07 > 0:51:11It was a scary moment, but as the storms got stronger,
0:51:11 > 0:51:16so did Dad's resolve. We knew him all too well.
0:51:16 > 0:51:18He just kept battling and battling.
0:51:18 > 0:51:21I'm sure he'll have something nice to say to me.
0:51:21 > 0:51:23I am fixing him, after all.
0:51:25 > 0:51:31You never know with Dad. Sometimes he'll hit you right where it hurts.
0:51:31 > 0:51:34You keep on, I'm going to stop. Just shut up!
0:51:34 > 0:51:37I am talking to someone that's seen the show and wants to talk to me.
0:51:37 > 0:51:41Do you want me to ignore him to talk to YOU, you stubborn old git?
0:51:43 > 0:51:46Then as the sun came out, so did the crowds.
0:51:46 > 0:51:48And the end was finally in sight.
0:51:48 > 0:51:50CHEERING AND APPLAUSE
0:51:56 > 0:52:00Talk about fixing Dad, I'm trying to catch my sons!
0:52:03 > 0:52:08# I won't stop
0:52:08 > 0:52:10# Fighting for you... #
0:52:10 > 0:52:15There is so much you can do actually just by being a family together,
0:52:15 > 0:52:18eating well together, exercising together -
0:52:18 > 0:52:20things that are difficult to build in to our modern lives.
0:52:20 > 0:52:22I am inspired by you,
0:52:22 > 0:52:25and I'm sure you can inspire lots of other people.
0:52:27 > 0:52:31# Fighting for you
0:52:34 > 0:52:37# I won't stop
0:52:37 > 0:52:41# I won't stop... #
0:52:41 > 0:52:43We made it, Dad.
0:52:46 > 0:52:49Absolutely brilliant!
0:52:51 > 0:52:52Unbelievable.
0:52:52 > 0:52:56# I won't stop. #
0:53:05 > 0:53:07I would say to anybody,
0:53:07 > 0:53:11anybody - especially diabetics out there - don't give up.
0:53:11 > 0:53:14Nobody was in worse condition than me.
0:53:14 > 0:53:17There's always a chance out there. All you've got to do is get out,
0:53:17 > 0:53:20do something like this, get on a bike, build yourself up,
0:53:20 > 0:53:23build your self-confidence, and you can get through it.
0:53:26 > 0:53:29'Have these two boys of yours saved your life?
0:53:29 > 0:53:31'They literally have. I can't thank them enough.'
0:53:34 > 0:53:37I'll be upset if I don't get my goody bag, you know.
0:53:37 > 0:53:39Do you know what's supposed to be in it?
0:53:54 > 0:53:58'Sometimes our kids overestimate our abilities.
0:53:58 > 0:54:01'Maybe they see things that just aren't they are.
0:54:02 > 0:54:06'But fixing Dad was a lesson in not taking no for an answer,
0:54:06 > 0:54:10'and the importance of finding the positives - however small.
0:54:10 > 0:54:14'There are times when everything seems to be lost.
0:54:14 > 0:54:18'But often there are people around us who just won't give up on us
0:54:18 > 0:54:21'because they don't want to see a future without us.'
0:54:23 > 0:54:26Of course there are barriers to fixing our health,
0:54:26 > 0:54:29but the barrier should never be ourselves.
0:54:29 > 0:54:33'There are changes we can all make for the better,
0:54:33 > 0:54:34'wherever we are in our lives.'
0:54:36 > 0:54:39We didn't think we had time for Dad.
0:54:40 > 0:54:44But the more we put into this, the better life got for all of us.
0:54:45 > 0:54:47Sometimes in life,
0:54:47 > 0:54:50the person you were meant to be hides in the corner,
0:54:50 > 0:54:52under a pile of life's debris.
0:54:53 > 0:54:56It takes a courage to find that person,
0:54:56 > 0:54:58a courage we might not know we have.
0:54:58 > 0:55:02But there are people around us who know our courage, who know
0:55:02 > 0:55:04'exactly what we are made of,
0:55:04 > 0:55:06'because they are made of the same stuff.'
0:55:08 > 0:55:14Dad's not perfect now, but he is much better. We are closer now, too.
0:55:14 > 0:55:17My family could have resigned themselves to my ill health,
0:55:17 > 0:55:18just as I have.
0:55:18 > 0:55:21They could have said it was a lifestyle disease,
0:55:21 > 0:55:23and it was my fault.
0:55:23 > 0:55:28I am standing here today, without crutches, on BOTH my feet,
0:55:28 > 0:55:29because they didn't say that.
0:55:31 > 0:55:34So many of the people in this country and across the world
0:55:34 > 0:55:39are in poor health, when they don't need to be.
0:55:39 > 0:55:44However negative the messages around you, and whatever the outcomes,
0:55:44 > 0:55:47attempting to help someone you care about could well be
0:55:47 > 0:55:51the most important journey you will ever take.
0:55:51 > 0:55:54Together we have the power to strengthen each other.
0:55:54 > 0:55:58To make the change we want to see in the world.
0:55:58 > 0:56:01Thank you so much for listening.
0:56:01 > 0:56:03APPLAUSE
0:56:08 > 0:56:10After a full 18 months of fixing Dad,
0:56:10 > 0:56:13we got the news we'd always hoped for.
0:56:14 > 0:56:18We were told a minor miracle had taken place in Dad's body.
0:56:18 > 0:56:21His type 2 diabetes was resolved.
0:56:24 > 0:56:26As he stood there on that stage,
0:56:26 > 0:56:29we saw a spark of the man we thought we'd lost.
0:56:30 > 0:56:35The dad that fell rose to his feet and brought the crowd with him.
0:56:37 > 0:56:40When you're a kid, your dad's a hero.
0:56:40 > 0:56:45As you get older, your belief in superheroes fade, but at last,
0:56:45 > 0:56:51at least for that moment, our dad, OUR superhero, believed in himself.
0:56:59 > 0:57:02DIGGER ENGINE STARTS
0:57:12 > 0:57:16# Well, I'm rumbling in this JCB
0:57:16 > 0:57:21# I'm five years old and my dad's a giant, sitting beside me
0:57:21 > 0:57:25# And the engine rattles my bum like berserk
0:57:25 > 0:57:27# While we're singing
0:57:27 > 0:57:30# Don't forget your shovel if you want to go to work
0:57:30 > 0:57:34# And my dad's probably had a bloody hard day
0:57:34 > 0:57:39# But he's been good fun and bubbling and joking away
0:57:39 > 0:57:44# And the procession of cars stuck behind
0:57:44 > 0:57:49# Are getting all impatient and angry, but we don't mind
0:57:50 > 0:57:54# And we're holding up the bypass Oh, oh
0:57:54 > 0:58:00# Me and my dad having a top laugh Oh, oh
0:58:00 > 0:58:04# I'm sitting on the tool box Oh, oh
0:58:04 > 0:58:09# And I'm so glad I'm not in school, boss, so glad I'm not in school
0:58:12 > 0:58:14# Said I'm Luke, I'm five, and my dad's Bruce Lee
0:58:14 > 0:58:17# Drives me round in his JCB
0:58:17 > 0:58:20# I'm Luke, I'm five, and my dad's Bruce Lee
0:58:20 > 0:58:22# Drives me round in his JCB
0:58:22 > 0:58:25# I'm Luke, I'm five, and my dad's Bruce Lee
0:58:25 > 0:58:27# Drives me round
0:58:27 > 0:58:30# And we're holding up the bypass Oh, oh
0:58:30 > 0:58:36# Me and my dad having a top laugh Oh, oh, oh
0:58:36 > 0:58:40# And I'm sitting on the tool box Oh, oh
0:58:40 > 0:58:43# And I'm so glad I'm not in school, boss
0:58:43 > 0:58:45# So glad I'm not in school
0:58:45 > 0:58:49# I said, I'm Luke, I'm five, and my dad's Bruce Lee
0:58:49 > 0:58:51# Drives me round in his JCB
0:58:51 > 0:58:54# I'm Luke, I'm five, and my dad's Bruce Lee
0:58:54 > 0:58:57# Drives me round in his JCB. #