When Hollie and Kris Dear cross the finish line of the Great Scottish Run in Glasgow tomorrow, they will only be thinking of their little boy.
Their precious son Hamish – a cheeky, funny toddler who loved playing in the garden – died of neuroblastoma last November, aged just three.
His bravery during his battle with the aggressive childhood cancer, and his infectious laugh helped his parents through – and inspired them to set up a charity in his name to help other sick children.
Hamish Dear’s Warm Hugs enables families to enjoy days out with their children when treatment allows, and so far has raised £20,000.
Mr and Mrs Dear, of Tarves, have already been supported greatly by friends and family, and are now keen to raise even more awareness of the charity.
“We are completing the Great Scottish Run not to raise money, but to raise awareness. We want people to know our charity exists and we also want to keep Hamish’s memory alive,” said 29-year-old Mrs Dear.
“We discussed raising funds for a charity when Hamish would be in remission, and we always envisaged Hamish playing a big part of that, however unfortunately that was not to be the case.”
The couple originally took Hamish to the doctor with an ear infection and sore leg.
But doctors discovered he had a tumour the size of a grapefruit in his abdomen, and he was diagnosed with stage four neuroblastoma.
Offshore worker Mr Dear, 34, said: “A lot of people do not know what to say to us about Hamish and we understand that.
“But we are just like any other proud parents wanting to talk about our son.
“When he fell poorly we put it down to being in nursery and perhaps catching a bug, but then his balance started to go which was originally attributed to ear problems.
“There were still no major concerns until he had a minor fall and hurt his leg. But even then we thought the worst we would be dealing with was a fracture.
“We never imagined that this would be life or death.”
Little Hamish kept smiling throughout chemotherapy and his parents desperately hoped he would reach the stage of remission – if only to buy a little more time, as relapse is common for neuroblastoma sufferers.
Throughout his treatment at the Royal Hospital for Sick Children at Yorkhill in Glasgow, the family stayed in a flat in the city thanks to Clic Sargent, and they made precious memories during days out when Hamish was well enough.
“We knew the chances were against Hamish to survive but he was amazing,” said Mrs Dear.
“His scans were clear and we were actually home in Aberdeen in-between treatment when he became unwell suddenly.”
Doctors were unsure what was wrong, and when he was taken into hospital his sore tummy was put down to a blockage.
“He opened his eyes and looked up then closed them, and we thought he was dreaming and just drifted off to sleep,” said Mr Dear.
“We didn’t know our son had passed away, it was like a light switch going off.
“Soon after an alarm monitoring his blood oxygen level went off and that’s when our nightmare began.
“He passed away nine months after diagnosis, but despite everything he was so incredibly happy.
“He was so resilient and clever, he was developing his own personality and he made us laugh every day.”
The couple have kept in touch with families on the ward, and want their charity to help parents enjoy days out with their poorly children. Vouchers are available on the ward.
“We’ve helped 45 families and that gives us the motivation to keep going,” Mrs Dear said. “We hope to eventually provide vouchers for activities in Aberdeen.”
Mrs Dear will complete the 10K at tomorrow’s Bank of Scotland Great Scottish Run, while her husband will do the half marathon. The course will take him through Pollock Park, where a tree is planted in memory of Hamish.
For more information about Hamish Dear’s Warm Hugs visit www.hamishdearswarmhugs.com