Dundee dad Steve Dolan has raised hundreds for Macmillan Cancer Support, after the charity supported him and his family during his own illness.
The Craigiebank resident is terminally ill and has been fighting lung and bowel cancer for the past three years.
Now Steve, 63, has set out to raise money for the charity which cared for him and his family during that time.
He will shave his long hair and beard on Christmas day for the cause.
After smashing his initial £500 target in just a couple of days, Steve is keen to raise as much as possible for the “fantastic” charity.
‘Brilliant nurses and doctors’
Steve was first diagnosed with cancer in January 2018. After years of surgeries and procedures, the Dundonian’s condition is sadly now terminal.
He said: “The nurses and doctors at Ninewells who’ve helped me have been brilliant, they’ve supported the family as well.
“They can’t say when I’ll be gone – whether it’s next spring or next summer.
“Obviously I want to be that one in a million that lasts a bit longer but you never know – we’ll see if the cancer is progressing at my next scan.
“But I wanted to do something and raise money to help people in the future and give back what I can before I’m gone.”
Steve, a big football fan, said he hadn’t been able to go see his beloved Dundee United play live for a long time.
But the club have recently invited him and his Tangerine-daft family in for hospitality at the club’s stadium Tannadice.
“I’ve always had season tickets but I haven’t been to a match in years because I couldn’t go,” he said.
“But the kids and my ex-wife have been going and it’s just that idea of keeping the family together and going at the weekend.”
Despite the news, Steve is determined to raise money for the cancer charity by sacrificing his long mane.
“My dad has always been told that he has a great head of hair,” said his son Stephen.
“He’s a silver fox now, with a big head of curly hair.
“We were watching the Dundee United game in the pub and we were joking about my dad shaving his head for charity.
“But then he said he’d actually do it – I was just joking as well!
“He’s been wanting to do something for Macmillan for a while, so I made the fundraiser there and then.
“It’ll be quite strange though – I’ve never seen him without his hair before.”
‘Fantastic through Covid’
Steve’s family said they were well supported by the team at Ninewells throughout the difficult diagnosis and treatment.
Stephen said: “The nurses at Ninewells, the oncology team and especially Macmillan Cancer Support – they’ve all been great through the whole thing.
“They’ve been there for my mum, sister and myself, even if it’s just a cup of tea and a chat.
“They were fantastic even through Covid, so dad was keen on the idea of giving something back to them.
“He’s terminally ill now – the team have said he might not see next summer.
“He was eager to do something with the time he’s got left.”
‘Overwhelming’
The family have already surpassed their £500 target, with the fund currently sitting at £840. Stephen said they were surprised at how quickly the fundraiser took off.
He added: “It’s quite overwhelming how well it’s done.
“It has definitely put a positive spin on things.
“We’ve still got until Christmas, so hopefully we raise as much as we can.
“A lot of people want to do something nice at Christmas, so hopefully we can pass our new target of £1,000.
“I also want to say thanks to everybody who spent their hard earned cash on something like this.
“It has affected us all and it’s really nice that people have taken the time to read about the cause and message us. It’s really reinforced that people care.
“We do appreciate it and everyone has just been great.”
The Dolans are hoping to reach their new £1,000 target before Christmas day.
People can donate to the fundraiser for MacMillan Cancer Support here.
