Music to remember a brother and son

By jevans2 jason evans jason.evans@swwmedia.co.uk

A FAMILY double act has taken the stage in an emotional tribute to a son and brother who died from bone cancer.

Paul Donnelly was just 20 when he died from the disease, following a four-year battle.

A keen surfer and musician, dad Peter and brother Stephen decided to remember the brave youngster in a way he would have enjoyed — with an evening of music and fun.

So the father and brother picked up their guitars and took part in a special memorial gig in Swansea's Idols bar to raise money for Bone Cancer Research.

Peter said: "It was very emotional, but we wanted the emphasis of the evening to be on fun.

"We played songs that Paul played in his band, or had a special significance to the family.

"The first song we did was Teenage Kicks by the Undertones — one of Paul's favourites.

"The crowd was terrific."

The Donnelly family moved from Sheffield to Gorseinon when Paul was three months old.

He was diagnosed with osteosarcoma, a form of bone cancer, in September 2004, aged just 16.

The former Gorseinon College student underwent surgery in Birmingham Orthopaedic Hospital, and had repeated admissions to the Children's Hospital in Cardiff for chemotherapy, as well as undergoing radiotherapy at Singleton Hospital.

He died in October last year, shortly after enrolling at Swansea Metropolitan University to study a 3D animation degree.

Peter said the family had been trying to come to terms with the death.

"I think we are coping quite well," he said.

"The gig has been a focus for us, and we are also planning other ways to raise money for cancer research — Paul's mother, Dolores, is running the London marathon and I will be doing a sponsored cycle ride.

"The gig went so well, we are hoping to a bigger one next year."

More than 500 people packed Idols for the tribute concert, which featured four local bands.

The money is still coming in, but so far the evening has raised more than £2,000.

Jason Jones, who helped to organise the event, said: "The gig went fantastically well. The atmosphere was great and we raised a lot of money."

WEBLINK

www.bonecancerresearch.org.uk