A young boy who lost his father to cancer has had his spirits lifted after being selected as a mascot for his beloved Rangers FC.
Alex Ritchie's dad Pete passed away last month at the age of 39 after being diagnosed with bile duct cancer and given three to six months to live. He passed away two weeks ago, leaving his family and friends heartbroken.
Sheryl, who shared son Alex with Pete, spoke to Glasgow Live about Pete's tragic death and the arrangements made to make Alex the mascot, delighting the youngster after the sad news.
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She said: "Pete went to hospital with stomach pains late May this year, suspecting food poisoning but after an MRI scan was diagnosed with cholangiocarcinoma (bile duct cancer) and given three to six months to live or possibly longer if chemo was successful.
"Pete started chemo in the summer which initially looked positive but contracted an infection in August which put a stop to his chemo and meant the cancer spread aggressively.
"Pete made the decision to stop all hospital treatment in September and spent his last days at home surrounded by his many friends and family who gave him amazing support.
"He died a week after his 39th birthday and leaves behind his wife Sadie their one year old daughter Isabella and Alex. Pete’s funeral is being held in Edinburgh today. He was also formerly the captain at GHK rugby club and was fit and healthy and training for this year’s London Marathon when he was diagnosed.
"Despite Pete being a Celtic fan Alex and I are Rangers daft and are season ticket holders at Ibrox and Alex was invited to the MyGers Halloween party this year.
"I was thanking the organiser Natalie Nairn for inviting Alex and explained what it meant us due to everything that was going on and Natalie and her colleague Paige Brown invited Alex to be a mascot for the Ajax game. He had an absolute ball."
Pete's wife Sadie has now set up a fundraiser in Pete's memory for for AMMF - the only Cholangiocarcinoma charity in the UK - with more than £7,000 raised.
The donation page reads: "In Pete's memory, and in lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be sent to AMMF, which is what Pete asked for.
"AMMF are the UK's only Cholangiocarcinoma (Bile Duct Cancer) charity who are dedicated to tackling this devastating cancer on all fronts, providing information and support, campaigning to raise awareness, and encouraging and supporting research. This charity provided many resources for us when we were trying to understand this cancer and get more information.
"Please don’t feel pressured to donate, but if you could spare a few pounds it would be greatly appreciated. It would be a nice touch when you donate if you could leave a little message or memory of Pete."
To donate to the fundraiser in Pete's memory, visit the JustGiving Page here.
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