A grieving sister will honor her beloved brother on the fourth anniversary of his tragic death.
Blyth’s father, Richard Matfin, died in 2017 aged just 33, after a year-long battle with a rare form of sarcoma.
Richard was diagnosed in 2016 after returning from vacation in Thailand with a strange lump on his thigh.
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He bravely decided to share his journey through his blog, where he nicknamed himself the “cancer chancer” and talked about the chemotherapy process and his decision to take control of his own hair loss.
Since Richard’s death, his family has strived to create a lasting legacy for the “funny and cheeky” 33-year-old, as well as to help his now 12-year-old son Alfie celebrate the memory of his father.
This year, Richard’s sister, Lucy Matfin, 35, of Gosforth, organized a ‘yellow day’ in support of Maggie’s cancer charity, which supported her during her illness.
Held at Lucy’s workplace, Elmfield Nursery in Gosforth on June 22, the fun and colorful event aims to reflect the happy big brother personality she will always remember.
Lucy said: “I do a charity event every year, but this year I wanted it to be even bigger and better. I want to keep her memory alive and do something fun because she was such a fun person. .
(Photo: Lucy Matfin)
“He loved jokes, he was always a liquidation merchant, he really was the best. He had that amazing, cheeky smile that was so infectious.”
As the shock diagnosis hit Richard and those close to him hard, Lucy said he refused to let it cool his mind.
She said: “He had been saying for a while that his leg hurt, he continued to have tests and was told everything was fine, it was a bruise or a lump.
“When he was finally diagnosed at Cramlington Hospital it was just awful – but he never was negative about it, he always stayed positive.
“I remember visiting him while he was on chemo – he said, ‘come meet my new friend Ivy’ – he was talking about his IV, for the chemo, he joked about it, he still had that sense of it. ‘humor.”
Staff at Maggie’s Cancer Center provided tremendous support for Richard, and the center at Freeman Hospital became a “safe haven” during his illness.
His family hopes that with their support, the association will be able to help even more cancer patients like him.
“I hope he would be proud,” said Lucy.
“I just want to keep his name – he has a legacy through his amazing son, Alfie, but I want to continue supporting the association and raising awareness as well.”
Those wishing to support Maggie’s can purchase cakes and other goodies at Elmfield Nursery, Gosforth on Tuesday afternoons, or donate at www.maggies.org.
Lucy would like to thank the following local businesses for their offers of help for the “yellow day”: Every-little event; EB cakes; Cakes and pastries; Ashleigh cakes and pastries; Monsieur Crêpe Café.