Light shines bright for proud Moray grandfather
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A CANCER support charity provided "light at the end of the tunnel" for a Moray grandfather.
That light shone even brighter when Thomson Fiske watched as 10-year-old grandson Scott went that extra mile for the group that helped his beloved grandpa cope with his illness.
Thomson (68) was recovering well after undergoing treatment for prostate cancer when he was hit by the sickening blow that he needed a double heart bypass.
Five weeks after going through his heart operation, the former fishing skipper looked on proudly as Scott and classmates from Greenwards Primary in Elgin completed a sponsored cycle from Elgin to Lossiemouth and back.
The youngster had been so overwhelmed at the help that CLAN (Cancer Link Aberdeen North) gave his grandfather, he decided to do something positive to help others in a similar situation.
"No words can describe what this means to me. I am not really surprised at what he is doing, that’s the kind of lad he is," said Thomson.
It was seeing his grandfather go through seven weeks of radiotherapy in Aberdeen for his cancer, while staying at the CLAN support centre in the city, that made the youngster determined to support its work.
The charity provides accommodation and emotional and practical support for people undergoing cancer treatment at Aberdeen Royal Infirmary.
Thomson stayed there for seven weeks last November and December while receiving 37 daily sessions of radiotherapy, travelling home to Lossiemouth at weekends.
"It is a fantastic place," said Scott, who hatched the plan for a charity cycle with friend Rachel Bird. So far they have raised in excess of £500 for the charity.
The bond between the youngster and his grandpa was summed up in a plaque Scott gave for the room at CLAN which read: "My dad knows many things, but my grandad knows everything".
Thomson said this kind of support from family, friends, the staff at CLAN and other patients made a difficult situation easier to deal with.
The CLAN centre, in a former church in Aberdeen, became a home from home for seven weeks. "Everything was laid on for you. It was unbelievable what they did for you," he said.
Patients received counselling, complimentary therapies, outings and a listening ear from volunteers and staff at the centre.
"I didn’t know what I was going to, I was a bit like a rabbit in the headlights when I first went there," he added.
However, he quickly realised that having the support and camaraderie of other patients going through a similar experience was just what was required.
"The emotional side of the illness was the hardest to cope with but having a good circle of family and friends, as well as CLAN, helped a lot.
"You were never alone. With family and friends, and CLAN, putting it all together there
was light at the end of the tunnel."
Thomson and his fellow patients quickly became known as the CLAN gang by staff and volunteers. With patients from all over the north of Scotland and the Orkney and Shetland islands, CLAN has helped hundreds of people since it was set up in 1983.
"It made a bad experience a lot better and helped with the recovery process," he added. "The people there had a great sense of humour and the staff were fantastic."
Having come through his cancer treatment, Thomson, who latterly worked as a theatre porter at Dr Gray’s Hospital in Elgin, was then floored by heart problems which he had previously put down to old age and indigestion. However, the end result was a four-hour operation to perform a double bypass.
Now back on his feet and looking forward to a family holiday in Blackpool, he admitted the CLAN centre was a real godsend, not just for him, but wife Margaret and the rest of the family.
The charity is just about to open a new purpose-built centre on the Aberdeen Royal Infirmary campus following a massive fundraising campaign.
Scott’s parents, Wendy (39) and Andy Fiske (41), Glenlossie Drive, New Elgin, are proud of their son and his friends for doing their bit to help others. The couple also have a daughter Sarah (15).
"That’s just Scott. He is very kind-hearted," said Wendy, whose own dad died from cancer 27 years ago.
