Dying football fan John Pinch given chance to see last match

[Friendsoffulham]

Dying football fan John Pinch given chance to see last match

Big-hearted Fulham FC are ready to make a dying man's dream come true.



Julia Quinlan made an appeal to the Championship club to help grant her ex-partner John Pinch what could be one of his last wishes.

The lifelong fan, of Queenborough Road, Halfway, is desperate to get to one final game with his 19-year-old son Jonathan, who lives in William Street, Sittingbourne.

John Pinch who gets his wish to watch his last Fulham game with his son Jonathan Quinlan
Mr Pinch has terminal cancer and the 67-year-old reportedly has only months to live.

But after our sister paper, the Sittingbourne News Extra, brought his case to the attention of Fulham the club are keen to make it happen.

Mr Pinch was diagnosed last July with bile duct cancer, a rare but aggressive type of the disease which affects the bowel and liver.

Ms Quinlan said it all happened very quickly for her and her son.

"I didn't notice he was ill till he started losing weight and became very yellow, almost jaundice like," she said.

"Our son Jonathan walked him into the hospital thinking they'd be out a few hours later, but that never happened.

"Now he needs all the help he can get."

Seriously ill and bed-bound Mr Pinch, a former van driver, spent six months in Pembury hospital, in Tunbridge Wells, missing Christmas and his son's birthday.

"Football makes John's face light up and to share that last moment of happiness of seeing a match with his son would mean the world to him" - Julia Quinlan
Yet Ms Quinlan says it was the beautiful game that provided some unexpected relief for the family.

"He's been a fan of the team since he was 10 and was so passionate about the game," said the 57-year-old.

"Football makes John's face light up and to share that last moment of happiness of seeing a match with his son would mean the world to him."

Jonathan, who studies mechanics at Canterbury College, has honoured his dad by getting a tattoo of the club's crest.

Since his father returned from hospital, the teenager has spent most nights sleeping on a blow-up mattress next to his dad.

A Fulham spokesman said: "Being a very family oriented club, we are delighted to be able to assist John and his family in coming to Craven Cottage."

http://www.kentonline.co.uk/sheerness/news/fulham-help-lifelong-fans-dying-91143/

[Sgt Fulham]

Very sad, can only imagine how strong you have to be to go through that. Really hope we turn up for Charlton and give him somwthing to be happy about.

[Woolly Mammoth]

Very sad, can only imagine how strong you have to be to go through that. Really hope we turn up for Charlton and give him somwthing to be happy about.

Very sad, can only imagine how strong you have to be to go through that. Really hope we turn up for Charlton and give him somwthing to be happy about.

I couldn't agree more, very sad.

[bill taylors apprentice]

Boy oh boy!

That puts football into perspective.

Best wishes to John and his family.

[beijing ben]

Sad story. Let's hope we get a win on Saturday.

On a side note, I grew up in Sittingbourne and would quite often be around the William Street area. I know how difficult it is to be a Fulham fan around there. There aren't many of us..

[Dr Know]

So sad. Come on fulham pull out all the stops

[copthornemike]

As mentioned above by BTA does put things into perspective.

Well done to Julia and Jonathan for making the event happen and hope it is a joyful (and eventful for all the right reasons) day for Mr Quinlan. 

[F(f)CUK]

At a Fulham juniors game I asked Jimmy Hill once about disabled parking at the ground back when he was chairman, as I wanted to take my dad to his last ever game. Jimmy called me at home and invited us to be his guests in the Director's box. Hopefully Fulham will do this and more for Mr Pinch.

Hopefully Fulham will do better than they did for us as we lost at home to Scarborough in a midweek evening game.