Rugby hospice staff make Spurs fan's final dream come true

‘AMAZING’ staff at a hospice went the extra mile to make sure a Rugby man’s final wish was fulfilled.
Lifelong Tottenham Hotspur fan John Halstein wanted to see his beloved Spurs one last time after he was diagnosed with prostate cancer.
John’s brother Andy wrote to Spurs Wishes, a charity dedicated to fulfilling the wishes of terminally ill fans, to see if John and his family would be able to access the wheelchair zone by the side of the pitch.
But they were bowled over when the club invited them to watch Tottenham’s April match against West Bromwich Albion in an executive box instead.
The fixture had special resonance, as Albion were the opponents when John first went to see his team play back in the forties.
And when John mentioned his impending trip to Rugby Myton Hospice physiotherapist Jo Bateman, she and her colleague Liz Ball took it upon themselves to ensure his wish was granted by organising transport and a wheelchair for John – and Liz even drove his family down to White Hart Lane where they met Andy.
On arrival, John and his family were directed to the hospitality suite where they enjoyed limitless refreshments throughout the day – and a few former Spurs players even popped by to meet John after the match.
John was first diagnosed in December 2012, and was admitted to Warwick Myton Hospice for respite care in February 2016. Two months later, John started attending Rugby Myton Hospice and soon developed a strong relationship with all of the staff during his time there.
John sadly died at Warwick Myton Hospice on May 16, nearly two weeks before his 75th birthday.
John’s other half Sylvia Barlow said John – who lovingly referred to her as his soulmate – was a kind-hearted man who loved nothing more than spending time with his family.
She added: “This is why we wanted to do all we could to make sure he was able to see his favourite football team one final time.
“The staff at Myton are very special people. They were all counting down the days with him and everyone wanted to make sure he was well enough to go.
“Thanks to the staff at Myton and Spurs Wishes, we managed to achieve this. We can’t thank Myton enough for what they did. Nothing was too much trouble – they were amazing.”