TEARS FOR OUR CANCER CHANCER
A year to the day since Richie’s death, family recall his dignity, courage and humour
IT is a year to the day inspirational Richie Matfin lost his fight with cancer aged just 33.
The Blyth dad-of-one blogged his experiences online after being diagnosed with rare cancer sarcoma.
Richie courageously posted details of his journey through chemotherapy and his decision to take control of his own hair loss.
But on June 26 last year Richie passed away, leaving behind his eight-year-old son Alfie.
Speaking on the anniversary of Richie’s death for the first time since his passing, dad Sutt has spoken of his pride at his son’s “brave” blog and the family’s ongoing heartbreak.
Sutt said: “It’s gone very, very quickly. We think about him every day.
“Everybody knew Richie, they all come up to me and say he was a smashing lad. He was a lovely lad who was always smiling.
“Joanne [Richie’s mum] just expects the door to open and for Richie to walk in and see what’s for tea.
“For me, I must admit I’ve found it very hard to go back on a golf course because that’s where I knew him best.
“It’s been very hard to come to terms with. With him being a nonsmoker and he drank very little, for him to come down with cancer makes no sense.”
Richie and younger sister Lucy and brother Russell, now 32 and 30, grew up in Gosforth, Newcastle, before the family moved to Blyth.
Richie doted on his son Alfie, but had his world upside down after he returned from a trip to Thailand in spring 2016 with a lump on the side
Everybody knew Richie, they all come up to me and say he was a smashing lad Richie’s father Sutt
of his left thigh. After a series of tests he was diagnosed with sarcoma – a cancer accounting for about 1% of all adults with the disease.
Rather than letting the devastating diagnosis defeat him, Richie boldly decided to create his “Cancer Chancer” blog to detail his journey.
Posts outlined his experience of the stages of chemotherapy treatment and his fundraising efforts for Maggie’s cancer charity.
Sutt, 63, believes his son’s decision to blog his journey was “marvellous” - but has spoken of his own guilt after he was successfully treated for prostate cancer shortly after Richie was diagnosed.
He said: “I felt terrible that my cancer had been removed and I could not help him.
“But Richie talking about his feelings and putting his face out there was very brave.
“His whole world must have been falling down. He must have been terrified and frightened - it was marvellous what he did.” Joanne, 61, added: “All the family were very proud. “He fought his illness with great dignity and kept his humour throughout.” Richie’s family have continued to fundraise in their son’s memory on behalf of Maggie’s cancer charity and Sarcoma UK. Courageous schoolboy Alfie has turned heartache into hope by raising more than £1,600 for Gosforth-based charity St Oswald’s through last year’s Mini Great North Run for their support in his grieving process. Sutt finished: “Richie knew it was probably too late for himself, but he thought he might be able to help someone else. “If you have a lump or anything, please go to the doctors.” To read Richie’s story, search “Cancer Chancer” on Facebook.