Family's Urgent Mission to Bring Terminally Ill Man Home
A family from Greater Manchester is engaged in a desperate race against time to bring a dying relative home from Ireland so he can spend his final days surrounded by loved ones. Clive Thompson, aged 56, is currently receiving end-of-life care at Blackrock Hospice in Dublin after his lung cancer spread aggressively to his brain and bones.
A Final Wish to Return Home
Clive, a former door-to-door salesman who relocated to Ireland roughly fifteen years ago, has expressed his heartfelt final wish to return to his family in Hattersley, Tameside. His niece, Cherelle Thompson, 39, who is leading the fundraising effort, explained that after falling out of contact for many years, the family recently reconnected when hospice staff alerted them to his deteriorating condition.
"We asked him what he would like to do," Cherelle told the Manchester Evening News. "He said he would like to come home but he doesn't want to be a hassle. I said to him 'it's no hassle'. If that's what he'd like to do, we'll make it happen. We don't want him to die alone in Ireland."
Fundraising for a Specialist Ambulance
The family has launched a GoFundMe campaign with a target of £6,000 to cover the costs of a private high-dependency ambulance and clinical team required for the complex journey across the Irish Sea. Clive's medical needs, due to the advanced stage of his cancer, necessitate specialised transport to ensure his safety during the trip.
So far, the campaign has raised £3,321, but Cherelle described it as having reached a "standstill" and appealed for a "final push" to reach the goal. She emphasised the urgency, noting Clive's wish to be laid to rest in the family plot at Hyde Cemetery alongside his parents, Salome and John Thompson, and his sister, Janet Thompson.
Clive's Resilient Spirit Amid Illness
Despite the physical toll of his illness, which has left him "a shadow of his former self" and very frail, Clive's spirit remains resilient. Cherelle revealed that he was originally diagnosed with lung cancer in 2024 and initially "got rid of it", only for it to return "with a vengeance" and spread to his brain and bones.
In her fundraising appeal, Cherelle wrote: "Clive's final wish is to return to Manchester to be surrounded by his family, including his nine nieces and nephews who are desperate to see him. His greatest wish - and our family's sole mission - is to get him back home."
The family remains hopeful that with continued public support, they can fulfil Clive's last request and bring him home to Greater Manchester, where he can find comfort and peace in his final moments with those who love him.
