A woman who was unable to fly back to say goodbye to her dad has issued a heartfelt thanks to all those who tried to help her get home.
Alan Collins, 75, was previously diagnosed with stomach cancer but thanks to major surgery and treatment, he was declared "cancer free". But days after finding out his daughter, Lisa Martin, was pregnant with her second child, he was told his cancer had returned and he had just 12-months left to live.
Lisa, who was born in Bootle, moved to Australia several years ago, but appealed for help to get back home to give her dad Alan "one last hug". Tragically, Alan died on April 12 before Lisa could make it home.
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Hoping to raise over £3,500 to fly back home to the UK, Lisa only managed to raise just over £500, which will now be donated to St Luke's Hospice and Macmillan.
She told the ECHO: "They were absolutely brilliant, even just with my mum checking in that she was okay. They were amazing so my mum wanted it split between them.
"Dad was fighting up to his last day. Each day you could see a deterioration, he was losing the ability to talk. He died on April 12 but the Tuesday before he took a severe turn and he wasn't really responding. None of us thought he'd make it past Easter but he lasted a few more days. He was a fighter, always has been."
In November 2021, after suffering with stomach pains, struggling to swallow and acid reflux problems, Alan visited his GP, assuming he was just unwell following his previous cancer surgery. But he was soon told the disease had spread, and he now had stage 4 liver cancer as well as lung and oesophagus cancer.
Despite being given 12 months to live, Alan was "still fighting" 17 months on until his death. Being unable to afford the flight home for the funeral, Lisa said she was however able to watch it via a video link.
She added: "My friend initially found flights but it was expensive because of the school holidays. I found flights for a few months time for just over six thousand dollars (Australian). We are living on my husband's wage, living pay cheque to pay cheque and weren't able to make it back, that's why the fundraiser was set up.
"Not making it back is something I'll always live with, part of me feels guilty. It was my son's sixth birthday ten days after and it's something I'll struggle with for the rest of my life but it's something that couldn't be helped.
"Thankfully we had video calls and we were able to say our goodbyes. Dad was really down to earth, everyone says that but he literally had the time of day for everyone and would give everyone a chance.
"He made an impact on a lot of people's lives. On the day of his funeral more than 160 people turned up which reiterated how much he was loved. I watched it on Facebook and I'm thankful I was able to be a part of that."
Lisa has thanked everyone for their kind donations as she urges everyone to know the warning signs in their bodies. She told the ECHO: "If people are sick or they suspect something is wrong, especially men, get checked.
"Dad put it off for so long thinking it was a bit of pain from the first lot of cancer, but please get checked."
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