Half time - nice moment!

[Cerberus Blade]

was anyone else touched by what United laid on for that old guy of 90 years, who is crippled with dementia, but his wish was to play for Sheffield United?

80 years of watching the blades, they brought him out of his care home to parade him on the pitch at half time. TC laid the ball onto him and he stroked it home from 5 yards into an empty net in front of the applauding kop!

And how he celebrated!

I thought it was just fantastic.

When I see things like that it makes me so proud of our club and what it stands for.

That old guy will never forget it. And neither will I.

I said to my son, “will you do that for me in 30 years time? And he said! “ how about your next birthday Dad?”

 

[Carlton Blade]

was anyone else touched by what United laid on for that old guy of 90 years, who is crippled with dementia, but his wish was to play for Sheffield United?

80 years of watching the blades, they brought him out of his care home to parade him on the pitch at half time. TC laid the ball onto him and he stroked it home from 5 yards into an empty net in front of the applauding kop!

And how he celebrated!

I thought it was just fantastic.

When I see things like that it makes me so proud of our club and what it stands for.

That old guy will never forget it. And neither will I.

I said to my son, “will you do that for me in 30 years time? And he said! “ how about your next birthday Dad?”

Loved it. Connor Sammon would have missed

 

[Harrisblade]

Loved it. Connor Sammon would have missed

Wouldn't have put on any money on Jordan Rhodes hitting the target either

 

[KoppedOff]

Up to that point, TC’s was our best cross of the game.

 

[SB_90]

Like gary sinclair said he couldve got a game under adkins. Id play him above higdon & sammon

 

[Northyorksblade]

Extremely touching. I had something in my eye again. Even at his stage of dementia, his wish was to play for United. After he scored he said it had made his day. Good on yer United.

 

[wizadry]

Touching!

 

[djbaldken]

It was a lovely moment.

 

[OO 21]

It was lovely how loud everybody cheered his goal. Could have just been met with a ripple of applause, he clearly appreciated it and enjoyed his moment all the more because of it.

 

[LenTednTony]

It gave me goose pimples I was that proud......and cheered my heart out. Today was my 62nd Birthday and I would sooooo have loved that to be me! Well done Blades. Well done Senior Blade.

 

[wizadry]

It gave me goose pimples I was that proud......and cheered my heart out. Today was my 62nd Birthday and I would sooooo have loved that to be me! Well done Blades. Well done Senior Blade.

Happy birthday Blade.

 

[Nicolaus_Copernicus]

It's what separates us from everyone else.

 

[OO 21]

It's what separates us from everyone else.

Chris Wilder? Not sure he's got anything to do with it.

 

[Dec]

that old guy of 90 years, who is crippled with dementia

That old guy will never forget it.

Ermm...

Nah but in all seriousness, it was amazing to see.

 

[bromtom]

Welled up. Spent a lot of time in a dementia wing of a care home with my Nan before she left us, and it broke my heart every time seeing not just my Nan suffering but some of the old guys, one always had his United joggers on and we always had a word about the Blades when I saw him.

Unfortunately a lot of the time there just aren't enough staff though they do their best, and families aren't always there for the elderly, especially dementia sufferers so it was great for the club to have helped with this, filmed it I assume and he'll have it near by I'm sure, the time he scored at the Lane.

 

[FlamingLip]

Lovely moment. From hospital corner even sounded like Sinclair was nursing a tear.

Great goal Blade

 

[BigBed]

Loved it. Connor Sammon would have missed

Remember Simmonsens penalty!!!!

 

[GrayBlade]

was anyone else touched by what United laid on for that old guy of 90 years, who is crippled with dementia, but his wish was to play for Sheffield United?

80 years of watching the blades, they brought him out of his care home to parade him on the pitch at half time. TC laid the ball onto him and he stroked it home from 5 yards into an empty net in front of the applauding kop!

And how he celebrated!

I thought it was just fantastic.

When I see things like that it makes me so proud of our club and what it stands for.

That old guy will never forget it. And neither will I.

I said to my son, “will you do that for me in 30 years time? And he said! “ how about your next birthday Dad?”

It was brilliant Trev. Brought a tear to my eye and made me wonder that if God willing in 20 odd years time...we’ll you know what I mean.

 

[HodgysBrokenThumb]

How far in advance do we have to book? 2037 for me. I fancy going in goal and having TC, Deane and Billy roll penalties to me so I can save a hat-trick of penalties in front of the Kop. Not sure I'll be able to do a Henderson and dive into the fans to celebrate, though.
Seriously, well done SUFC.

 

[Northyorksblade]

Dementia is such a terrible illness. My lovely, vivacious, outgoing, clever, mum was a victim of it. I remember her asking me once if she was ever married and did she have any children. It broke my heart. I've told Mrs NYB to take me to Dignitas if ever I am diagnosed. I do hope Frank remembers his day

 

[beatific blade]

Dementia is such a terrible illness. My lovely, vivacious, outgoing, clever, mum was a victim of it. I remember her asking me once if she was ever married and did she have any children. It broke my heart. I've told Mrs NYB to take me to Dignitas if ever I am diagnosed. I do hope Frank remembers his day

I can't begin to imagine how awful that must feel all those good times and memories are in there, they haven't disappeared, they just can't quite find them anymore

 

[Numpty's Dusty Ruts.]

Frank looked like he really enjoyed his time, and all credit to the club for sorting it and for giving him such a lovely time. I said to my lad, esteemed Forgeblade, that I felt that gestures like that mean that United still have a soul, something increasingly rare in modern football. It was great to see, on a great day!

 

[sheffielder]

Great moment, loved it and brought a tear to the eye.

Speaking of Sinclair you should have seen wilders face when Sinclair was showboating the MOM. Along the lines of not again with a few expletives I am sure

 

[Sandygate Blade]

It was a lovely touch by the club. Don't think there was a person in the crowd who wasn't moved by the moment.

 

[Cerberus Blade]

I can't begin to imagine how awful that must feel all those good times and memories are in there, they haven't disappeared, they just can't quite find them anymore

Sometimes dementia is kind too. I know that may sound very odd, but I saw it with my mother in the year or so before she died. She was a very independent person before she became too ill to look after herself.

She was in a care home and they needed to wash, dress and feed her. She would have hated that, but she wasn’t fully aware what was happening and in some ways that helped ease her through her remaining days.

There’s be many times when I’d go and see her and she’d be happy and telling me how she’d been out shopping or walking on the moors. She’d been nowhere! She’d say what a lovely holiday she’s having and what a good hotel this was.

There were many awkward moments though, like the time she asked me if her mother was dead. (Her mother had been dead for 30 years). That was difficult to handle because i was brought up to never tell a lie to my parents (or anyone for that matter). My dad used to say that liars are worse than thieves, because you usually know if you’ve got a thief, but you never know if you’ve got a liar!

It didn’t seem right to lie to her now but I was worrried what the truth may do to her in her fragile state. I managed to deflect it somehow by asking her about something else, and she forgot instantly what she’d just asked me.

I didn’t like seeing her like that but I look back and think it was probably good that she didn’t realise where she was or what state she was in.

That’s not to take snything away from the seriousness of dementia or other mental health problems. But just to say that, even in desperate situations like these there is sometimes an upside. And also that it’s important to reflect on how it’s affecting them rather than how it’s affecting you. I was very upset seeing my mother like that but in many ways for her it was better than reality.

 

[Northyorksblade]

[QUOTE="Cerberus Blade, post: 1838728, member:
There’s be many times when I’d go and see her and she’d be happy and telling me how she’d been out shopping or walking on the moors. She’d been nowhere! She’d say what a lovely holiday she’s having and what a good hotel this was.[/QUOTE]

My mum was a big cyclist almost in to her eighties. Would bike into town and round to our house. Many a time she would phone and say her bike had been stolen in town and we'd go into town and find it where she'd forgotten she'd left it. But then it became too dangerous for her as she got more frail, and I had to take her bike away from her. Even so, from then until just before she died, she'd tell anyone who'd listen, 'I ride my bike every day and play cards every night' neither of which was true. The worst thing for me was when social services insisted she had to go into a care home. We'd take her out every Sunday, but when she got back to the home, she had no recollection of ever having been there and got quite anxious about what would happen next. In the later years, it was easier for her if we didn't take her away from her familiar surroundings. We'd just have a walk round the gardens or sit in her room. When she died, I couldn't grieve properly as I'd really lost my mum eight years earlier when dementia took hold.

 

[madeinsheffield]

Sometimes dementia is kind too. I know that may sound very odd, but I saw it with my mother in the year or so before she died. She was a very independent person before she became too ill to look after herself.

She was in a care home and they needed to wash, dress and feed her. She would have hated that, but she wasn’t fully aware what was happening and in some ways that helped ease her through her remaining days.

There’s be many times when I’d go and see her and she’d be happy and telling me how she’d been out shopping or walking on the moors. She’d been nowhere! She’d say what a lovely holiday she’s having and what a good hotel this was.

There were many awkward moments though, like the time she asked me if her mother was dead. (Her mother had been dead for 30 years). That was difficult to handle because i was brought up to never tell a lie to my parents (or anyone for that matter). My dad used to say that liars are worse than thieves, because you usually know if you’ve got a thief, but you never know if you’ve got a liar!

It didn’t seem right to lie to her now but I was worrried what the truth may do to her in her fragile state. I managed to deflect it somehow by asking her about something else, and she forgot instantly what she’d just asked me.

I didn’t like seeing her like that but I look back and think it was probably good that she didn’t realise where she was or what state she was in.

That’s not to take snything away from the seriousness of dementia or other mental health problems. But just to say that, even in desperate situations like these there is sometimes an upside. And also that it’s important to reflect on how it’s affecting them rather than how it’s affecting you. I was very upset seeing my mother like that but in many ways for her it was better than reality.

I had something similar with my Nan who passed away at the start of the year, she'd tell me that she'd been down the market with her sister, (she'd been in the care home for 5 years) I'd just go with her story and ask what she'd been buying, it's not lying, it's just going along with them. It was nice to hear her talking positive about things, even if it was all in her head. I thought of it as joining her in a dream. Horrible cruel illness

 

[JohnDenver]

My mum was a big cyclist almost in to her eighties. Would bike into town and round to our house. Many a time she would phone and say her bike had been stolen in town and we'd go into town and find it where she'd forgotten she'd left it. But then it became too dangerous for her as she got more frail, and I had to take her bike away from her. Even so, from then until just before she died, she'd tell anyone who'd listen, 'I ride my bike every day and play cards every night' neither of which was true. The worst thing for me was when social services insisted she had to go into a care home. We'd take her out every Sunday, but when she got back to the home, she had no recollection of ever having been there and got quite anxious about what would happen next. In the later years, it was easier for her if we didn't take her away from her familiar surroundings. We'd just have a walk round the gardens or sit in her room. When she died, I couldn't grieve properly as I'd really lost my mum eight years earlier when dementia took hold.

Ian Botham said openly he stopped visiting his dad in the care home because pops no longer knew who his son was. Grieving does start early.

A cousin of mine in his 60s has just been diagnosed. When I was a kid, he and his wife used to take me and my sister away at weekends, practicing for their future child raising I guess. A good man, intelligent, healthy, yet it’s hit him out of nowhere and very suddenly. I feel terribly for his wife and daughter.

When you mention dignitas earlier in the thread, I understand the sentiment, but the person you are now would be very different to your theoretical, older, demented self. In a sense, the person you are now has no right to condemn your future self to death. I understand that in the right environment, people with dementia can be fairly calm and content. I think that’s something we can hope for.

So yes, I had something in my eye on Saturday at half time. The fella may well have forgotten the event 30 seconds later, but he still experienced it. It still mattered.

 

[Northyorksblade]

I can't begin to imagine how awful that must feel all those good times and memories are in there, they haven't disappeared, they just can't quite find them anymore

You're right. Very occasionally, mum would say something like, 'How are Gaye and Janet, I haven't seen them for a while?' These are my two sisters who live down south, so didn't visit very often. Or 'How's your team doing?' These moments of normality were quite shocking and in a way made the situation worse as you realise they are still in there somewhere.

 

[Lane Ender]

was anyone else touched by what United laid on for that old guy of 90 years, who is crippled with dementia, but his wish was to play for Sheffield United?

80 years of watching the blades, they brought him out of his care home to parade him on the pitch at half time. TC laid the ball onto him and he stroked it home from 5 yards into an empty net in front of the applauding kop!

And how he celebrated!

I thought it was just fantastic.

When I see things like that it makes me so proud of our club and what it stands for.

That old guy will never forget it. And neither will I.

I said to my son, “will you do that for me in 30 years time? And he said! “ how about your next birthday Dad?”

Nice to see that