Family’s poignant tribute to dad, 29, who died after suffering cardiac arrest

Joseph McGowan was looking forward to turning 30 in July, but in January, the 29-year-old was rushed to Inverclyde Royal Hospital after suddenly taking not well.

From there, he was transferred to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) at the Royal Alexandra Hospital in Paisley.

At a special ceremony, Joseph’s family, including his sons Ronin, four, and Isaac, two, handed a cheque for £4709 to teams at the hospital, as a poignant 'thank you' for the quality of care he received.

Joseph’s mum AnneMarie McGowan and his dad John Ross endured days of worry as ICU staff assessed his condition.

However, after a week, the couple received the heartbreaking news that their son would not survive.

“Joseph’s dad and I spent 11 days with him before he died,” AnneMarie, from Port Glasgow, said.

Joseph McGowan (Image: NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde)

“The care our son received was wonderful – I’ll never forget what the staff did for him. There was a nurse by his side all the time, and they were so good to us – so understanding.

“At Joseph’s funeral, we asked that people didn’t send flowers, but instead donated money to the hospital. We raised £505 which we’ve already handed over.

“But that was only the beginning. A little while later, nine of Joseph’s friends walked the West Highland to raise even more money, and I’m so proud that they raised nearly £3000.”

Joseph’s brother Jamie and AnneMarie’s friend Eleanor Leitch then arranged a charity birthday party in memory of Joseph.

The party was held at the Hibernian Hall in Port Glasgow – and the proprietors provided the venue for free.

“So many people came,” AnneMarie said. “I’m so grateful to Jamie and Eleanor, and to our friend Carine Hagan who baked a lovely cake for the event – in fact, I’d like to thank everyone who donated raffle prizes and made the night such a success and all the people who dipped their hands into their pockets and gave money for the hospital.”

Guests of honour Ronin and Isaac were allowed to stay up late to go to the party.

“We felt it was important that the boys went,” AnneMarie said. “By being at the party they were able to say happy birthday to their daddy.

Joseph and his two sons (Image: NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde)

“The boys don’t really understand what’s happened. All they know is that their daddy is in heaven.

"They’re so young that they won’t remember any of this, but we want them to know about the people at the hospital who helped their daddy – and about everyone who helped the hospital in return. We hope the pictures we’ve taken will help us do that.

“The staff in our hospitals don’t get enough credit. They did so much for Joseph that we just can’t thank them enough. We just wanted to give something back.

“We’d like to thank Dr Patrick MacGoey who was so kind to us as well as all of the staff on ward 24.

“But we’d especially like to thank Dr David Gray and the end-of-life team – and all the others who helped us.

“We’ll never forget them – and we just want to make sure Ronin and Isaac never forget them too.”