Inverness oxygen therapy charity benefits as grieving family of Ross-shire cancer victim make kind donation
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THE grieving family of a man who died of cancer have found some comfort from a medical charity benefiting from his passing.
The family of the late Alan Ross, an electrician from Tain, was delighted to donate specialist equipment that will help The Oxygen Works in Inverness reach more patients requiring its therapeutic services.
Alan was diagnosed with terminal cancer in March and his life-long friend Jim Oliver helped set up a Friends of Alan Ross Fundraiser at Platform 1864 restaurant in Tain last August which raised £19,000 with ongoing donations taking this total to more than £20,000.
Sadly Alan succumbed sooner than expected on October 30 in Raigmore Hospital, Inverness.
His daughter Sharon Nichol and son Stuart Ross have visited The Oxygen Works, in Burnett Road, to hand over an oxygen concentrator to company chairman Dan Jenkins who told them the machine would be a major benefit.
The centre helps people with conditions such as multiple sclerosis, cancer, Parkinson’s and diabetes. It also has the only hyperbaric oxygen chamber in the central Highlands, often treating divers with “the bends”.
Mr Jenkins said: “Representatives from Friends of Alan Ross contacted us saying they would like to donate the concentrator. This is a tremendous gesture and it was a pleasure to meet Sharon and Stuart and tell them how much this donation will help us to support more people.
“By all accounts their father was a tremendously kind and generous person who was universally liked in the Tain and Easter Ross community.”
Leigh-Ann Little, the charity’s CEO, said: “The donation of this oxygen concentrator will allow us to provide oxygen therapy to up to eight additional people per day on site.
“It will also enable us to utilise our other oxygen concentrator in remote rural communities without disadvantaging anyone using the Inverness centre.
“While we also provide oxygen therapy in our hyperbaric chamber, concentrators allow us to provide support to people who cannot use the chamber for a variety of reasons including ear problems or claustrophobia.”
She added: “While the circumstances under which we received the donation are devastating for Alan’s family and friends, we hope that knowing the positive impact and legacy he is leaving will bring them all some sense of comfort.”
Sharon and Stuart are pleased that their father is still able to help people.
Stuart said: “My father would have done anything for anyone and it is fitting that he is still able to do this.
“We are still coming to terms with our loss, but if the donation of this equipment can help people in any way, then that will be a great legacy for our father.”
Jim Oliver, a stalwart of north football, said: “Me and Alan were friends since school. He was one of a kind, full of fun and a guy who would help out anyone, but sadly the cancer beat him.”
