A beloved grandfather and “staple of the community since the dawn of time” was told he has weeks to live, after initially thinking he had the flu.
Leslie Booth, also known as Pop, was taken to Wollongong Hospital, in New South Wales, Australia, last month when he was short of breath, tired, and confused. After initially thinking Pop has caught a virus, he was taken for tests before his family were given the shock news he had stage four cancer.
He was told he had months to live before an update which confirmed he had weeks – perhaps days – to live. A fundraiser has been launched to support Pop and his wife, Les, in his last days. Coral Booth, Pop’s granddaughter, wrote on the Gofundme: “We eventually found out our wonderful, funny, caring and generous Leslie was nearing the end of his life with Stage 4 Cancer.
“Originally we were given a timeframe of maximum 5 months left to cherish with him. Today we found out we have less than weeks, if not days, left with his kind soul. This has absolutely rocked our family, and our community. He has been a staple of our community and family since the dawn of time and has raised more children and even adults than I can name.
From Eden to Bega to Warilla, he’s always had a whole tribe right behind him, that he’s cared for, fed, housed and clothed. Over the years my family have refused to take even a cent off anyone they’ve ever helped.
“It takes a village and that village has always been with Nan Steph and Pop Les. We are now calling on the community they’ve raised, held up, protected and cared for, to be our village.” The family had been told Pop would not live to see his 69th birthday in March before he was given surgery to give him weeks and possibly months left.
Coral told MailOnline: “They’ve put a shunt in his main artery so blood and oxygen can flow better to his brain but they’re worried the tumour will start growing around it. Nan and Pop have lived in the same house for 40 years. Everyone knows them and nobody ever went without. If anyone needed a good feed or a place to sleep, they’d go there. Pop was a dad to everyone.”
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