After moving back to the UK in September 2019, Colin was diagnosed with two brainstem tumors in May 2020. After a grueling battle with cancer and the side effects of the treatment. it was sadly decided on 9th November 2021 that there were no more clinical, medical or surgical options available to him to fight the disease. He had a very brave hard fight.

Throughout his entire cancer journey he was treated with dignity and care by the oncology team at the Beatson West of Scotland Cancer Centre and in the final stages of his life he had three weeks at the Accord Hospice in Paisley.

When the doors of the hospice were opened for Colin, he had began the last heartbreaking chapter of his life's journey, The team at the hospice welcomed him with caring open as one of their family to make the hospice his final home.

Both Colin and myself had traveled the world extensively with our respective work and leisure travel. He would annually post his miles of travel even to his own amazement of distances travelled, as at the of 2019 he travelled 8 times around globe in one year alone. 

Colin went into medicine to be able to improve the lives and those that were unwell or less fortunate them himself, he started this from a very young age, with voluntary work with St John Ambulance, and then qualifying as a doctor to complete his life's ambition, which continued to grow as he did professionally and personally. Having completed his hospital medicine service, he then became one of the youngest GP's in the country at the time, then finally on to his most passionate of careers in Clinical Informatics and Health Information Technology.

This is where he had his greatest reach globally and beyond is own expectations, he was always very humbly proud that the work he competed and impacted in one way or another on billions of people with the systems he was part of, within the Cerner sphere and clients. His final project shortly before he stopped work was working with his colleagues setting up the Nightingale Hospitals in the UK and in a wider global reach of field hospitals around the world during the Covid Pandemic that has affected all of our lives. All of this was done with his usual passionate infectious attitude of  "can do" and "no mountain to big to conquer" to get the job done, whilst continuing to nurture and inspire people in his own work and wider environment

For Colin and myself, home was always where we were together anywhere in world and not a physical building or structure in any location or country, our last home together was the Accord Hospice in Paisley, we were immediately made to feel at home and part or a large caring family, we were instantly cocooned by a team of selfless, caring, loving group of people, to ensure Colin had exactly what he needed when he needed during the final chapter of his life.

They respected our privacy and gave Colin absolute dignity in his final days and never treated him any another way than the beautiful intelligent man he was. Words can not express our gratitude for this final time we had together, the staff were always there in there discreetly background, immediately there when needed providing him very complex end of life care that would have been impossible for him to have at home. I lived at the hospice in Colin's final week and was treated with the exact same care and compassion they gave Colin.

Colin passed away  in my arms so peacefully on 5th December at 06:15. His death was the most painful but equally beautiful moments of our nearly 30 years together.  It was a heartbreaking moment to say farewell to my man and  leave the Hospice, or our last home together.

Colin requested that any funds that would have been spent on, cards and flowers in relation to his funeral or memorials to be diverted in the form of a donations to this wonderful charity. This will ensure that they continue their truly amazing work with other people in the final stages of their life. its costs GBP3.5m a year to keep the 8 bed hospice and other community actives this charity does running.

No matter how small, any donation would be greatly received by them and not a florist or news agent. :-), we will match your donations up the the target amount on this page.

Thank you in advance from the bottom of our heats.

Colin and Malcolm