A doting dad whose battle with cancer sparked a £20,000 fundraising effort has died following a 16-month fight against the disease, aged just 31.
Scott Cowie, of Peterhead, was diagnosed with an aggressive form of cancer known as round cell tumours in September 2019, from which he was never expected to recover.
He died on Wednesday at Roxburghe House hospice in Aberdeen, leaving behind wife Laura Cowie, stepdaughter Sophie, 12, and daughters Wynter, nine, and three-year-old Lotti.
Mrs Cowie, 31, has paid tribute to her “strong and amazing” husband, who she married in Peterhead just five weeks after his diagnosis.
Cruelly, on the day they should have wed as originally planned in Cyprus, Mr Cowie underwent a liver biopsy which confirmed the devastating news that his cancer was aggressive and he had just 18 months to live.
Mrs Cowie said: “We’ve known each other since we were 14 at Peterhead Academy together.
“Later, he walked up to me one night in a nightclub and told me how beautiful I was, and that was it.”
Together they raised Mrs Cowie’s eldest daughter Sophie and Mr Cowie’s daughter Wynter. They welcomed Lotti to the family almost four years ago.
“The girls were his life,” Mrs Cowie added.
“He did absolutely everything possible for them and made sure they never wanted for anything.
“He never treated Sophie any differently to his own kids. We were together eight years and he brought her up with me.”
Mr Cowie, who worked offshore before his illness, underwent nine months of gruelling chemotherapy to prolong his life, and tried his best to squeeze in as many rounds of golf as possible when well enough.
His wife, a support worker, has been his carer for the past 18 months.
“I never left his side the whole time,” she said.
“I slept on hospital floors when I had to.
“It feels so weird, I still expect him to be here.”
Until three days before his death, Mr Cowie remained at home with his girls, fighting his illness with courage.
“I have never met anybody so strong in all my life,” his wife added.
“He was in pain every single day, and anybody else would have given up but he never did.
“You would never have met anybody like him. He was amazing, he put up such a fight.”
His illness was originally diagnosed as gastritis and constipation by a GP, and it wasn’t until he was sent home from work by medics offshore that they realised he was seriously ill.
A scan then revealed four tumours in his stomach and two in his chest.
His death has left his family, including parents Graham and Sandra Cowie, and brothers Paul and Kevin Cowie devastated.
Mrs Cowie said: “My daughter Sophie isn’t talking to anybody yet, she won’t say a word.
“And our youngest keeps telling people her dad is a beautiful angel in heaven.”
Shortly after his diagnosis, Peterhead residents rallied around Mr Cowie’s family to offer support, well-wishes and donations to an online fundraising page aimed at ensuring the family’s final year together was a happy one and free from financial worry.
The page, set up by Mr Cowie’s friend Ryan Meadows, has since raised an “overwhelming” £18,000 for the family.
“Everybody has been really supportive of us,” Mrs Cowie added.
The Just Giving page is still live and can be supported online by searching for Scott Cowie.