An 84-year-old grandfather with dementia has gone viral on TikTok after his grandson uploaded a clip of him at a football match. Barry Carr has spent many years bonding with his grandson Charlie Gibson over the love of the game, and now millions of viewers have been captured by his enthusiasm.
Some of Charlie's most cherished childhood memories are of his grandad whisking him away to Man City games - of which Barry is a lifelong supporter. On Sunday the team had a big match and his family were worried that the progression of his dementia would mean he wouldn't be able to make it to the game at the Etihad stadium on time.
But when the grandfather and grandson parked up at the stadium, it sparked Barry into his pomp and set in motion a heartwarming story of the power of football and family, the Manchester Evening News reports. Barry grew up in Manchester and rejected trials at Man United due to his loyalty to City, instead choosing to go into the family business.
From the age of six, Charlie was hooked and they went to games together regularly until his grandad stopped in 2014 as his condition deteriorated. He was diagnosed with dementia the following year, and while he has had the constant support of his wife Sherry by his side - soon to celebrate their 60th wedding anniversary together - and the love of three children and seven grandchildren, the added isolation caused by the pandemic has only worsened his illness; Alzheimer's took hold to the point that when the club heard Barry's story and sorted tickets for them to watch a game.
Charlie pushed on, but even he had his doubts. When things took a turn for the worse, they nearly didn't make it to the game - yet came through.
"Because I had that relationship with him, I like to push through and the whole point of this is I want dementia to be a positive thing and we have those memories. There is a stigma where because you have it things aren't possible. I'm never going to put him out of his comfort zone but I thought he'd be fine.
"When we had breakfast and he started to wobble a bit by not being responsive, I realised I'd never really had this with him. When we got to the car and he forgot my name, that really set me off. I was crying my eyes out. He's never not said my name before.
"We were in Hale and I thought 'do I turn the car back round' but I thought let's push through because he'd had his medication and he started to come round. Even driving up to the stadium, he still didn't really know what was going on but as soon as he got to the stadium that was it.
"Obviously I was reminding him of what was going on but he was fixated on the game. Whatever happened at least he got to do it and enjoy it. Then he got to see his son, and even he sees him every week and said it was like he was 10 years younger. I was exhausted driving him back and he was singing to Frank Sinatra and listening to 5 Live so it was like the old days!"
For Charlie - having moved back up to Manchester to be nearer to his grandad - it was all about another memorable day at the football with someone that means so much to him. As well as running his own football agency, Charlie is also a skilled videographer and was able to capture their rollercoaster of the day from the wobbles to the amazing ending.
The response to Charlie uploading the video to Tiktok has been overwhelming. The three-minute clip has been viewed more than 10 million times in two days and fans of all teams have been messaging privately to show their appreciation; one Arsenal supporter whose dad has Alzheimer's has even offered to pay for a season ticket next season for Barry, while the Football Association have also been in touch about the Community Shield.
"I came back here and he's become my father figure. He got me into football, we always went to City games and then I came back to Manchester just to be with him and spend some time with him and I wanted to give back to him," said Charlie.
"We've always had a really special relationship, so much so that when I came back everyone would say he always had more energy with me. As life progresses and business got busier, I've not seen him as much as I'd have liked to in the last few months. Over Christmas he got a lot worse and became unresponsive and his Alzheimers started to kick in.
"They thought it would be too much for him because he's always falling asleep, and he has had his wobbly moments. I've never had that experience with him because he's always been lucid. Then, when it came to City I don't know what was pumping through him but we pulled up in that car parking space and it was almost like he was 10 years younger.
"Having him there really encompasses our relationship with City. We had the [Sergio] Aguero moment when he was at his best, but to have that again and even just to speak to him on Monday and he was saying of course he remembers and had just about recovered.
"That's the beauty of social media. You can put it on there and it is there for the rest of our lives. To resonate with so many people and get the messages I've had is just awesome.
"I was just so glad it was there with a memory and then did not expect that response at all! My gramps just said to me I'm not 100 per cent sure what's going on but as long as I'm making you proud. He's turned into such a sweet old man.
"He was always quite hard and stern but now he is a soft oldie so he's awesome. As long as it raises awareness and people can enjoy it, that's all that matters."
