‘Something to fight for’ Dying air crash hero giving his sons a future
ATERMINALLY ill air crash hero has started selling The Big Issue with his two sons – to help support them when he has gone.
Dave Besley, 67, was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukaemia at the end of last year, and doctors gave him six months to live.
But he decided to become a Big Issue vendor alongside sons Mark, 32, and Shane, 29, in his final months.
Dave, from Bristol, took up the job last month and said it had given him something to fight for.
Dave survived the Basel air disaster in 1973, which killed 108 people. He managed to save seven others from the wreckage and received an award for his heroism.
He hopes the job selling the magazine will be an outlet for his sons after he has died and help provide for them.
Dave said: “I wanted to come back to my family in Bristol because I have got my wife and my two disabled boys living here.
“I decided on The Big Issue so we can actually get out there and meet people, talk to people and get some money for the rest of their life when I’m gone.
“I decided I wanted to do something instead of sitting on the settee shrivelling up and waiting to die.
“It was an outlet for me to carry on with something and to have something to fight for.
“This magazine doesn’t only help homeless people and people with no money. It’s for people like me who’ve got disabilities so they can be a part of the community, not just living quietly in a corner.
“It’s been very good so far. There are nice people out there, the public is very supportive.
“They’re very outgoing, they want to know how you are, how you’re coping and what’s going on.
“I try to explain what The Big Issue is and that it’s a hand up – everybody has their own reasons for selling. For some people it’s just for money. For some it’s something to do. For some it’s just to hang on in life.”
Dave’s sons both have learning and behavioural difficulties, and he said: “I’ve been looking after my two boys most of my life and I’ve got them selling their magazines out there.
“They’re learning to cope with other people. They’re not very good at mixing in and connecting to people. The magazine has given them an outlet.
“They can’t work, so all their life they would be stuck in the house or doing nothing.”
Dave was 17 years old when he was
one of 37 survivors of the Basel crash.
The flight took off from Bristol Airport with 145 people onboard before crashing in the snow in Basel, Switzerland, on April 10, 1973. Dave’s uncle was one of the 108 victims.
Next year will be the 50th anniversary of the disaster and Dave is hoping he will live long enough to mark the occasion.
He said: “That’s what I’m fighting for. There are only a couple of survivors left and I want to be there to pay my respects to the survivors in Switzerland and the people in England.
“I always felt that I should have been with the rest of them on the plane when they passed, so I have a heavy connection with Bristol. “You don’t realise what it’s like until you’re in one of these air disasters. You still see it every year. You can hear the crying, you can hear the plane roar, you see every little bit.”
Chris Falchi-Stead, frontline director of The Big Issue, said: “Dave’s story is truly inspirational and our frontline team will remain with him and his sons every step of the way in order to support him in every way we can.
“It’s incredibly tough out there for our vendors at the moment.
“The rising costs of food and energy and quieter high streets, along with the colder climes, are meaning a usually busy time for magazine vendors looks increasingly bleak.
“It is why we are urging people to give our vendors a fighting chance this Christmas and buy a magazine or a subscription from them.
“Every copy bought is £2 earned. Give our vendors a fighting chance this Christmas. Every copy counts.”
To give your support, visit big issue. com/Christmas.
Dave added: “I want to pay tribute to Macmillan [cancer charity], so will be setting up a fundraising page soon, so keep an eye out for it.”
I always felt that I should have been with the rest of them on the plane when they passed
Dave Besley