16 September 2020

Band of brothers perform for father in hospital bed

16 September 2020

A band of four brothers performed a special gig for their father as he was in his hospital bed after staff wheeled him outside the building to make it possible.

Self-employed car mechanic Gary Radley, 62, is being treated for motor neurone disease at Royal Papworth Hospital in Cambridge.

His sons, who are in a band called Endeavour, sat around his hospital bed to perform songs on acoustic guitar and vocals after staff took him down from a third-floor ward.

Mr Radley, from Peterborough, had asked staff if they could arrange it and they made it happen.

“Seeing my boys has given me a massive boost,” he said.

“My aim is to get home and spend whatever time I have left with my partner Valerie and the rest of my family.

“I am so grateful to the NHS for everything they’ve done for me and my family over the years.”

His sons Brandon, 24, Shawn, 32, Garren, 23, and Shane, 33, chatted to him for around an hour after performing covers of Foo Fighters songs including Learn To Fly and Wheels, a track by Lewis Capaldi and two of their own.

Garren said: “Our dad has been our driver, our roadie, our engineer, our merchandise guy, our manager and our security, but as well as that he is our best mate.

It means the world to us that Royal Papworth Hospital allowed us to come and visit and perform some of his favourite songs

“We know how much he loves music and how happy it makes him to watch us play, which is why it means the world to us that Royal Papworth Hospital allowed us to come and visit and perform some of his favourite songs.”

Shawn added: “Dad is the most amazing man and loves Foo Fighters too.

“Thank you so much to the wonderful staff at Royal Papworth Hospital for allowing us to do this.”

Motor neurone disease is a condition that affects the brain and nerves and causes weakness that gets worse over time.

There is no cure, but there are treatments to reduce the impact it has on a person’s daily life.

Mr Radley is an inpatient at Royal Papworth Hospital’s Respiratory Support and Sleep Centre.

He has been in hospital since June, first at Peterborough Hospital and at Royal Papworth Hospital since the start of September.

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