On the 9th of January 2014, we lost my father, (Albert McCann), to secondary prostate cancer , MND, and Alzheimer's disease. He had been an extremely fit man his whole life, and played for Portsmouth FC from 1962 until 1974 when he finished playing, and had a testimonial against West Ham that attracted a crowd of 22,000. Another proud moment for Dad and his family was in June 2012 when he was inducted into the Portsmouth FC Hall of Fame.

As a family it was devastating to see the affect these wicked diseases had on both his mind and body.

Dad went down hill rapidly over Christmas, and we called our GP out to him on the 3rd of January, he advised that maybe it was time for him to go into a home, but we refused, wanting to keep him at home , and in our care, as long as possible. We were fortunate enough to be referred to the Rowans Hospice at Home Team, and from then on he was visited 3 to 4 times a day, and night time care was also generously provided. The Rowans team were incredible, so kind, caring and compassionate , I  cannot find the words to fully describe, how wonderful these staff were, and the difference they made to Dad's final days, and us as a family, being able to be with him until the very end. 

There really are Angels here on earth, and they work at the Rowans, I wish I could remember all their names, and I don't want to name just a few, but these very special people know who they are. My sister, some good friends and I are doing the Moonlit Memories Walk in Dad's memory , and hope the money we raise can in some way help towards the most difficult time in another family's life. Belinda Colley.

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