Plymouth Argyle outing for man with terminal cancer

A 23-year-old man who has terminal cancer has been given a match day outing with his brother.

Toby Brann, from Plymouth, who has been cared for by St Luke's Hospice since he was diagnosed in July, said he tried to "make the most of every minute".

On Saturday, he visited Home Park for Plymouth Argyle's match against Ipswich Town - with the Pilgrims losing 2-0.

The hospice has teamed up with the Plymouth club to support patients in attending matches.

Mr Brann has a rare disease called adrenal cortical cancer, with 220 people diagnosed every year, said Cancer Research UK.

Mr Brann said: "I can't thank nurse Debbie and Elliot [project co-ordinator] enough for getting us here and giving us the opportunity to come and watch, it wasn't the result we wanted, but still a special day out."

Mr Brann spent five years in the Royal Navy after he followed in his dad's footsteps by joining at the age of 17.

He said he was "making the most of things as it [the cancer] progresses and becomes more prevalent".

"At the start of the news you're sort of a bit numb to it, but as time goes on things start getting harder and then you start thinking to yourself 'get out there and enjoy yourself'.

"I try to make the most of every minute."

His visit was part of Sparksy's legacy - a regular guest ticket arrangement between St Luke's Hospice and the club, organised in memory of the late BBC Radio Devon presenter Gordon Sparks.

Debbie Hutchinson, a clinical nurse specialist at St Luke's Hospice, said: "Plymouth is full of Janners and full of Argyle supporters, some of them who are not well end up in care and come with us to the matches.

"We bring them here on a match day, they have a pasty and are made welcome by the staff here at Home Park.

"Toby is just a lovely, lovely guy who absolutely adores Argyle, its a lovely relationship and we would have never been able bring him to the ground without Sparksy's legacy and the work of Elliott Darcy who co-ordinates it."

Helen Brann, Toby's mum, said: "The hospice staff are amazing, they are at the end of the phone, if we've got any queries they come back straight away.

"Your whole outlook of life changes, you just have to take one day at at time.

"It's important to be happy and live life to the full because we all don't know how long we've got."

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