IN March last year the Evening Advertiser launched the Swindon Cancer Appeal, with the aim of raising £600,000 for Macmillan Cancer Relief. The money will pay for two Macmillan Nurses and an expert in palliative care for Swindon.

The money will pay for them for three years, after which time the NHS will take over. The appeal stands at £211,686.19. When we launched the campaign we looked at the stories of many people whose lives had been affected by cancer, whether suffering from the disease themselves or caring for friends and family who do. ALEX EMERY looks at what's happened to them since March.

John Boast helped launch the Evening Advertiser's Swindon Cancer Appeal after being diagnosed with the disease.

The father-of-five and grandfather-of-nine died with his family by his side at the Churchill Hospital in Oxford on September 30.

His wife Carol, who was 60 on Christmas Day, said: "In some respects it still hasn't sunk in that John has died. I keep expecting to see him.

"He was so cheerful and good-humoured and fought cancer to the very end. He never stopped enjoying life."

Carol, who would have celebrated her 40th wedding anniversary in February, added: "John's Macmillan nurse still pops in to see me even now.

"The Macmillan nurses were our lifesavers really.

"They eased his pain and gave us advice on how to cope. I'm pleased the Swindon Cancer Appeal is such a success.

"Our children are planning to do the cycle ride again next year to raise more money for Macmillan Cancer Relief."

John worked as a bailiff, a commercial finance investigator and finally a delivery driver for Fish Brothers Honda after retiring from the police force in 1984.

In early summer John was told the back pain he felt was because both his kidneys were cancerous and needed to be removed.

In spite of having only a 25 per cent chance of pulling through the operation, John beat the odds, only to be told the cancer had spread further and his condition was inoperable.

John was proud of his five children, Adrian, 38, Paula, 36, Tim, 35, Matthew, 31, and Daniel, 27, and of his nine grandchildren.

He just missed seeing his first great grandchild Jordan Lee, who was born on December 3.

A fund has been set up in John's name after the family donated £10,000 to Churchill Hospital, Oxford, where he received dialysis.

The John Boast Renal Trust Fund will help provide training for nurses.

Adrian, a project manager at British Telecom, from Covingham, said: "My father lived the fullest life and battled to the end.

"It is a tremendous honour to see a trust fund in his name which will support many other cancer sufferers."

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