A terminally ill father-of-three who went viral after hundreds of people threw him an early Christmas party outside his home has died, his family has revealed.
Matthew Sandbrook, 37, was given just months to live in October 2021 after being diagnosed with aggressive glioblastoma, a type of brain cancer. Doctors said he was unlikely to survive to see Christmas so his family launched an online appeal to throw him a final festive bash.
They were amazed when more than 200 people, including family, friends, neighbours and strangers, turned up outside his home in Warndon, Worcestershire, on 6 October last year to wish him well. Matthew went on to see last Christmas with his family but passed away on Friday 18 November, just over a year after his surprise party.
A Facebook post from his family read: “With a broken heart I must inform you all of the passing of Matthew Sandbrook. The world lost a very precious kind loving funny hard-working family man taken from us too soon he will be sadly missed and always in our hearts. He was so brave fighting this glioblastoma brain cancer for such a long time.”
Matthew’s funeral will be held at Worcester Crematorium on 9 December. His wife Rebecca has asked that, instead of flowers, people contribute to donation boxes for St Richard’s Hospice.
