Meet John and Terry

Originally from Abbey Hulton, John has lived in Longton for 19 years. He has several, complicated diagnoses which mean he often has difficulty breathing.

John was referred to Dougie Mac when he received a cancer diagnosis in 2021. While supporting him with his different conditions, our Wellbeing team recognised that a big problem for John was loneliness.

“I was really lonely, I’d had enough and felt like giving up. I was hardly leaving the house and although I have family, they’re all so busy with their work and their own lives. So when the lady from Dougie Mac came, she asked whether I’d be interested in meeting up with one of their Volunteer Buddys and said she had just the man for me, so I said ‘why not, I’ll give it a go.’”

John was introduced to Terry, a volunteer buddy who spends time with patients, getting to know them, having a friendly chat and just giving them some company.

“I was a bit surprised when I first met Terry as I was expecting someone younger than me, not older. He came to my house and we just had a chat over a cup of tea. We chatted about all sorts of things but especially Stoke City. I’m a lifelong Stoke fan so we talked about all the different players from the past and shared our memories of different games. We also played cards together, it was so lovely and really cheered me up.”

As their friendship grew, Terry suggested that they could maybe go out together for a few hours. John agreed so Terry picked him up and they went up to Rudyard Lake in Leek. 

“It was so lovely to be out of the house, I’d hardly been out for weeks, so to be in the beautiful countryside was really special. One day Terry asked whether I’d be interested in going to watch a Stoke City match, so of course I said yes. We managed to get some tickets through Dougie Mac and off we went. It was brilliant, I loved it. We started to go quite often and eventually we decided to get season tickets, so now we go to every home game together.

“Terry has had a huge effect on my life. My mental health has changed 100% and I look forward to his visits and of course the next match. We’ve become really good friends.”

Dougie Mac Buddies offer tailored support and companionship to patients, their carers and families. This service is invaluable in supporting people to live as fully and independently as possible while enhancing their wellbeing and quality of life.