THE FAMILY of brave dad-of-three Dave Hall, who lost his battle with terminal cancer at the weekend, have thanked the people of Macclesfield for their overwhelming support and generosity.
The 40-year-old, who touched the hearts of the whole country after his children sold their toys on eBay to pay for life-extending treatment earlier in the year, passed away peacefully at the East Cheshire Hospice on Saturday (December 15) evening.
The Express’ Save Dave Fund started in April and raised thousands of pounds for pioneering treatment on Dave’s brain tumour in America, but unfortunately the trip was never made, on doctor’s orders, due to the former engineer’s weakened state.
Dave’s medication was stopped last week with the family planning to have a private Christmas Day alone in the hospice with their beloved dad over the weekend, but the keen snooker player went into a sleep on Friday morning from which he never awoke.
His devastated wife and childhood sweetheart Shirley, 40, of Rotherhead Drive, Macclesfield, said: "I want to thank everyone for all the time and effort that went into fundraising for Dave, he was so shocked about everyone coming together for him because he didn’t think he was that popular.
"But it turned out he was. I could have half of Macc in my house though, but it won’t replace my Dave."
Shirley, a receptionist at Macclesfield Hospital, added: "Dave was everything to me. Some nights we would just sit up chatting without the TV on, and before we knew it, it would be 11pm. We were the perfect unit destroyed by a nasty, horrible cancer.
"My legacy will be the children. Dave asked me to raise them as he would have wanted to. He’ll always be here, always around us, but I’ll miss him physically being around."
Dave’s terminal illness touched so many people in Macclesfield earlier this year that the town rallied round to raise money in all sorts of weird and wonderful ways, including football matches, karaoke nights and school fairs.
The former Rieter Scraggs worker’s children, Lucia, three, Callum, eight, and All Hallows pupil Daniella, 13, even put their treasured toys on eBay to make up the money for the US treatment to give their dad a bit more time.
The Save Dave Fund gained national coverage with an appearance on GMTV for the Halls, and it was full steam ahead for the £2,000-a-month drug trial in Boston.
But after the dad-of-three had a second operation in August where 90 per cent of the tumour was removed, giving Dave "three good days", it grew back very quickly leaving him suffering from "headache after headache after headache".
After two bouts of chemotherapy, doctors told Shirley that any further treatment would not prolong Dave’s life, and the decision was made to take him off his medication.
Brave until the last, Dave never complained and had even planned a family Christmas and one last visit to his pride and joy, the family home on Rotherhead Drive, and his pet labrador, Barney, before slipping into his last peaceful sleep.
His funeral will be held on Friday, December 21, at 10.30am at St Albans on Chester Road, Macclesfield.
One of Dave’s closest friends Paul Hogan, the legendary Silklands DJ, is putting on a New Year’s Eve disco in the McIlroy Suite at Macclesfield Town FC to raise money for East Cheshire Hospice after the excellent care they gave to Dave in his last days.
The evening starts at 8pm, with tickets priced £20 available from Bargain Booze on Chester Road, or from hogie999@hotmail.com .
