This is Bob. Bob is 56 years old. Bob is a husband to Janie, a father to Lily and Lark, a fantastic friend, a respected work colleague and an all round good guy.

It was only in October 2017 that the nagging back ache Bob was suffering from started to get a bit more than painful. Painkillers didn't really touch the pain, an oesteopath didn't really help, we thought he might have slipped a disc. Bob ended up in A & E but they couldn't do very much at the time except send in a request for a CT scan. By January Bob was getting worse, work colleagues on the Trade Counter at B & Q told him he really should go home as he looked absolutely rubbish, finally seen by his GP he was sent for hospital tests. By Thursday 18th January 2018 Bob had been diagnosed with advanced stage Myeloma Cancer. The cancer had started in his lower back and had eaten away his sacral bone in his lower back. A further scan showed that the myeloma was not just present in Bob's torso but in his arms, legs and skull. It is not curable.

Bob spent two weeks in hospital and is now at home. The ladies from St Luke's Hospice are doing their very best to get Bob's pain under control, but it is not proving easy. Bob cannot sit on an ordinary chair and is spending all his time in a hospital bed with an air mattress that has been put in the family lounge/diner.

Bob is having intensive Chemo and Radiotherapy to try and control the Myeloma before (we hope) a stem cell transplant is given the go-ahead by the team looking after him. Bob is in alot of pain. Just standing to use his frame to get to the loo is agony, even meals have to be eaten in his bed.

I have known Bob for over 20 years, my husband and I are god-parents to his and Janie's Children, Lily who is 13 and Lark who is 10. Their whole family is devastated by the impact this is having on all of them. Bob is always first to sign up for a charity bike ride, always the one building the grotto for the PTA fund-raiser, the "go to" chap for anything DIY. A great neighbour and a great friend - if you need anything doing - Bob is your man!

Now Bob needs something. We are trying to raise money to buy Bob a "Rise and Recline" chair. We are hoping that this will help him to stand when he needs to and also give him some comfort when he is at home. We have looked at chairs from a well know manufacturer and they come in at £2000 - £3000 for the large size. If we manage to raise the money, we will ask Andrea who is the OT from St Luke's Hospice for advice to ensure we get the best possible chair for Bob.

If you have just a couple of pounds to spare please could you donate it to Bob. I know if we all pull together we can raise this money and get him this chair - it will make such a difference.

Thank you for reading, and if you choose to donate, heartfelt thanks to you.

Fiona