Alistair passed away on the 27th June 2013 aged 45 from a brain tumour. He had been suffering from what had been misdiagnosed for 18 months as herpes simplex encephalitis. Unfortunately he passed away two days after having surgery to remove the tumour.
Not only was he my dad he was my best friend. He was the one who taught me how to ride a bike, how to swim, how to drive. But more importantly he was the man who was there for me no matter what. No matter what the problem my dad was there to sort it. He taught me many things in life through example and experience, mainly because he wanted us all to be the best we could be.
One of the most important things me and my dad shared was our love for Chelsea. We would travel the country every weekend to watch them play.
The last 18 months of his life had been hard and he never once complained. The sarcasm and humour remained throughout. In fact I think he preferred the food in hospital than at home. The last few weeks for him weren’t easy, he was a proud man who never asked others for anything.
“He is a real inspiration and our memories will live on forever.”
Most importantly my dad taught me that if you want something in life you get up and you work for it, and we all know he worked hard. Although he worked hard he always made time for everyone, no work was more important than his family. I remember he would be at every netball tournament cheering us on and would come and watch our games no matter where they were.
Not many people would say he was perfect but to me he was, and always will be. He was a loving son, brother, husband, friend, but more than anything to me he was my dad.
I hope that I can make my dad half as proud of me as I am of him. He is a real inspiration and his memories will live on forever. You will be truly missed dad and we all love you so much.
We are supporting The Brain Tumour Charity because they believe that research is needed to provide awareness and prevention of brain tumours. This in turn will assist in early diagnosis and early intervention. Support to family members to ensure they don’t feel alone and may be channel sad and negative thoughts into ideas for fundraising and provide positive hope for the future that this disease is significantly reduced.