Heartbroken Derry father who lost wife and young son to cancer also loses his brave fight against the disease

The family of a Derry man who died this week of cancer having already lost his wife and seven-year-old son to the disease have asked for donations to be given to a local charity in his memory.

Joe Ferguson, of Beechwood Park in Strathfoyle, celebrated his 68th birthday just six days before he died on Monday.

He was laid to rest yesterday after a five-year battle with prostate cancer.

He was diagnosed with cancer in 2011, the year his wife Eilish died of lung cancer having only been given the all-clear from breast cancer just months earlier.

The family were first devastated by the disease when their son, Niall , was diagnosed with leukaemia, a cancer of the blood, in 1998, aged just five-years-old.

He lost his fight just two years later, aged seven.

In 2006, cancer struck the family again.

Eilish was diagnosed with breast cancer, battling for five years before getting the all-clear in February 2011.

However, in April of the same year she was given the awful news the cancer had spread to her lungs and could not be operated upon.

On April 13, the day of Joe and Eilish’s 40th wedding anniversary, she was given three months to live and died exactly three months on July 13, 2011.

In a cruel twist of fate, Joe was diagnosed with prostate cancer in December 2011, just five months after his wife had died and sadly, five years on, died on Monday.

John Doherty, Joe’s brother-in-law, said that since young Niall’s death and Eilish’s death, Joe had been heartbroken.

However, John said he was a warm and loveable person, always joking and making people smile and was much-loved in the community.

“Joe really died on the day Niall died 16 years ago,” said Mr Doherty.

“Then Eilish died and he was diagnosed that same year.

“He was a fighter though and he fought on and on.

“It was his birthday on December 6, he was only out of hospital, so we had a wee birthday party for him and he was so emotional.

“But started to really deteriorate from the start of October and he went downhill very quickly at the weekend.

“He was so kind-hearted; he had love for everybody and everybody loved him. He was great craic, he joked with everybody.

“When he went up to collect his grand-daughter, Michaela, from school, the wains all loved him. He was just devoted to his grandchildren.

“Joe made friends with a girl whose wee one, Megan, had to go to America for surgery on her eye. He always worried about her. If anyone was sick, he always worried about them.

“He was so well thought of and everyone was his friend, which you saw at the wake.”

“He was involved in everything but he was a great man for fundraising and he raised thousands after Niall died for the cancer unit for sick children,”

Joe also raised funds in the past for a project set up in tribute to Strathfoyle man, James Bradley, who died from testicular cancer in 2010.

The charity Jimmy B’s has the motto ‘Stay Strong, Fight On’ and it aims to raise awareness about men’s cancer.

It has been chosen by the family to benefit from donations given in lieu of flowers for Joe and the money will go to the Sperrin Toom at Altnagelvin Hospital.

“We are giving the donations in lieu of flowers to the ‘Jimmy B - Stay strong, Fight On’ charity and that will go to the Sperrin Room,” said Mr Doherty.

He added: “We just want to thank everybody for their kind support. The medical care that he got from Rapid Response, Marie Curie, Una Gavin from the Foyle Hospice, his district nurse, his GP Dr Manning and his carers from Glen Care, Deidre, Adeline and Leeandra, was amazing.

“We want to thank our neighbours, friends, the Lisahally Football Club, Enagh Youth Forum and Strathfoyle Community Association and everyone that was there for him and paid their respects.”

He added: “Joe will be sadly missed by us as his family and everyone who loved him.”

The family have asked that, in lieu of flowers, donations be made to Jimmy B Stay Strong Fight On, c/o Angela Bradley, 83 Clonmeen Drive, Strathfoyle, BT47 6UU. Photo shows Joe on his last birthday on December 6 with his brother-in-law, John, son, Sean,and grandchildren Anton and Michaela.