The family of a man who passed away aged just 29 have donated more than £4,500 to the Royal Alexandra Hospital.
Joseph McGowan was looking forward to his 30th birthday when he suffered a cardiac arrest and was transferred to the intensive care unit of the Paisley hospital in January.
But his family were later delivered the heartbreaking news that their beloved son and brother would not survive.
This week, Joseph’s parents joined his two sons in handing over a cheque for £4,709 to teams at the hospital who they say “were so good to us”.
Joseph’s boys – four-year-old Ronin and Isaac, two – took part in the small ceremony at the RAH so that, in future, they could have some special memories of their dad to look back on.
Joseph’s mum AnneMarie McGowan said: “Joseph’s dad and I spent 11 days with him before he died.
“The care our son received was wonderful, I’ll never forget what they did for him. There was a nurse by his side all the time, and they were so good to us, so understanding.”
Joseph was initially taken to Inverclyde Royal Hospital after falling ill in Port Glasgow but was transferred to the RAH where AnneMarie and Joseph’s dad, John Ross, endured days of worry as ICU staff assessed his condition.
However, after a week, the couple received the terrible news that their son would not recover and that from then on he would receive end-of-life care.
Anne Marie added: “The staff in our hospitals don’t get enough credit. They did so much for Joseph that we just can’t thank them enough.
“We’d like to thank Dr Patrick MacGoey, consultant in general surgery and intensive care medicine, who was so kind to us when he told us that Joseph wouldn’t make it, and who arranged for him to be moved to Ward 24, and all the staff on that ward.
“But we’d especially like to thank Dr David Gray, consultant in palliative care, and the end-of-life team – and all the others who helped us.
“We’ll never forget them – and we just want to make sure Ronin and Isaac never forget them too.”
AnneMarie and John Ross were so grateful for the care the RAH gave to Joseph that they decided to raise money for the hospital.
“At his funeral, we asked that people didn’t send flowers, but instead donated money to the hospital,” she said. “We raised £505 which we’ve already handed over.
“But that was only the beginning. A little while later, nine of Joseph’s friends walked the West Highland to raise even more money, and I’m so proud that they raised nearly £3,000.”
Joseph’s brother Jamie and AnneMarie’s friend Eleanor Leitch then arranged a charity birthday party in memory of Joseph.
The party was held at the Hibernian Hall in Port Glasgow, Joseph’s home town in June, the same month he should have marked his 30th birthday.
“So many people came,” AnneMarie said. “I’m so grateful to Jamie and Eleanor, and to our friend Carine Hagan who baked a lovely cake for the event.
“In fact, I’d like to thank everyone who donated raffle prizes and made the night such a success, and all the people who dipped their hands into their pockets and gave money for the hospital.”
And the guests of honour were little Ronin and Isaac, who were allowed to stay up late to go to the party.
“We felt it was important that the boys went,” said AnneMarie. “By being at the party they were able to say happy birthday to their daddy.”
In fact, Ronin and Isaac were the main reason why the family wanted to make such a big thing of handing over the cheque to the RAH, and to make it public.
AnneMarie added: “The boys don’t really understand what’s happened. All they know is that their daddy is in heaven.
“They’re so young that they won’t remember any of this, but we want them to know about the people at the hospital who helped their daddy – and about everyone who helped the hospital in return.
“We hope the pictures we’ve taken today will help us do that.”
After accepting the donation, which will be shared between the ICU, Ward 24 and the palliative care team, John Hunter, senior charge nurse at the RAH ICU, thanked the McGowans for their generosity.
He said: “I was delighted to accept this generous donation on behalf of the teams that cared for Joseph and so pleased that we could be part of something so special that Isaac and Ronin will remember.
“I think healthcare professionals sometimes feel a bit awkward when it comes to accepting donations but we humbly accept that families often wish to do this in recognition of our service and in memory of loved ones that are no longer with us.
“My sincere thanks go out to the McGowan family and all their friends who helped to raise this magnificent donation.”
The team who walked the West Highland Way in memory of Joseph were his dad John Ross, John McIntyre, John McKenzie, Ian Millar, Denis Piggott, Billy Stirling, Andrew McMaster, Sandy Burke, and driver and good friend Jim Darrah, who transported everybody’s bags between stops.
Don't miss the latest headlines from around Renfrewshire. Sign up to our newsletters here
