Just heard some bad news about an old friend. Brave decision this.

[PaulB]

So we were all in his favourite watering hole last night when he walked in with his wife and young son and his face was a picture! To see all the old gang there really lifted him and I hope he forgot, for a few hours at least, the battle which is to come. He'd made a real effort to even get out and looked a lot better than when I caught a glimpse of him last weekend. It was apparently a case of Hepatitis C which he contracted a few years ago that's caused the cancer which has now spread through most of his body and the poor lad's been told there's no hope. To be honest, we were all dreading it a bit but his courage bucked us up and we were soon laughing and joking like the old days. He asked us where his presents were, for instance, and was told there wasn't much point and he roared with laughter. Then someone said he was going to buy him the boxed set of the Sopranos but it would be wasted and again, he liked that one so if he's meeting it on laughing terms, then he'll keep everyone around him from being too down. He's a lovely guy as well; the sort that's never done anyone any harm and would much rather do you a good turn than a bad one. He's going to be missed, that's for sure.