by part time pete » Sat Aug 25, 2018 10:16 am
John Lambley, one of the guys I take to away games, passed away peacefully last evening at Ashgate Hospice with his close family around him.
His final game was last Saturday against Colchester.
He had been in the hospice for the last four weeks but he still has attended all the home games, including friendlies, this season, with the final two games versus Accrington and Colchester in a wheelchair.
John had been supporting the stags for over seventy years and I have been taking him to away games for the last five years. He has missed very few games in those five years and only missed a couple last season due to ill health around the New Year period.
He was diagnosed with oesophagus cancer in July 2017 but refused any form of surgery, kemo or radiotherapy because he didn’t want any side effects keeping him away from games. He kept saying he was fit and in no pain so why take treatment with all the side effects for perhaps a month or two more of agony. He even bought this year’s season ticket when the doctors effectively told him it was a waste of money.
In the end he was only bedridden since Thursday and on Wednesday he was still saying that he was going to Macclesfield today as we had got wheelchair tickets. However, on Friday morning when I saw him he admitted he didn’t have the strength to go to the match and I knew then it wouldn’t be long.
I would finally like to thank the club especially Ann in the ticket office for arranging wheelchair tickets this season and Carolyn Radford for surprisingly arranging John and myself to attend 1861 suite for the Accrington game. She had a photo taken with him which was put in the programme for the Colchester game which he very much appreciated.
Those accustomed to privilege may feel that equality is oppression.