Alex had just started therapy he hoped would save his life
A ‘brave and handsome’ 30 year old man has died surrounded by his family after battling cancer. Alex Able from Horsted, Chatham, ‘quietly slipped away’ in the arms of his wife, Elle.
Lst year the soft drink engineer was told he had a Rhabdoid tumour – a very rare type of cancer. There have only ever been 11 cases in Europe, and Alex is understood to be the first diagnosed in the UK. In July, his family set up a fundraiser to help with more treatment after his condition spread, prompting his team at Guys Hospital in London to cease his therapy.
After sharing his experience online, several medical professionals, including a specialist from Germany, moved by his story, reached out and helped create a new treatment plan for him. But after completing the first week, Alex tragically suffered a fatal brain bleed and died.
His funeral was attended by family, friends, work colleagues and schoolmates. Mother-in-law Katie Dine said: “The day was everything Alex wanted – a beautiful day for a truly beautiful soul. We celebrated his many hobbies and talents- showcasing his art, music and love of motorbikes.
“We spent the evening sharing stories and memories. The room was filled with nothing but love for a man we all adored.”
Alex was a bike enthusiast, with a passion for Harley-Davidsons, and a huge Metallica fan. Alex and Elle met in 2019 after speaking online, and after their second date, they had “practically moved in together”.
They were engaged within nine months and married within the year in a small service surrounded by just a few friends during the middle of the pandemic. One of Alex’s best friends, Billy, said: “Alex was incredibly indecisive – he would agonise over picking out a t-shirt of two virtually identical designs, but when he knew what he wanted, he just went for it.
“Elle said at the funeral that maybe the reason everything moved so quickly, which was totally out of character for Alex, was because destiny knew that they weren’t going to have a lifetime together.”
Mother-in-law Katie said: “He had definitely been here before – he seemed like he’d lived a thousand lives. He wasn’t particularly confident, but he was self-assured.”
Though his perfectionism often made him doubt his abilities, there was not much Alex “couldn’t put his hand to”, often becoming naturally good at new skills. “A lot of people who are creative aren’t particularly academic, but that wasn’t true of Alex,” said Katie.
Before his diagnosis, he, Elle and her parents had plans to move to Shropshire, where her sister, brother-in-law and newborn nephew live. The couple also had dreams of starting a family of their own and adding to their list of travels.
Katie said: “We feel like he hasn’t had an opportunity to live his life. We would have fought to the ends of the earth to give him a chance. We all feel cheated by losing him because more could have been done.”
Alex’s family plan to honour him by setting up The Alex Able Retreat. Funded by the remaining money raised for his alternative treatment, cabins or lodges will be built. They will offer visitors, similar to those in Alex’s position, a fully accessible place to stay and heal, free of charge.
Alex’s family say the retreat was a project he hoped to establish, run, and use to bring comfort to others. He told family and friends that while funding specialist research would require more than they could ever raise, he wanted instead to make a tangible difference — for people to see the daily impact of their donations.
Katie said “When we lost Alex, Elle decided that setting the charity up in his name not only fulfilled his wishes but kept his name and all that made Alex special, alive.”
It is hoped the charity will be able to work in collaboration with hospitals, local hospices, and charities, who might want to refer others to them. Katie said: “We will fulfil his dream of relocating to Shropshire, where we will build the kind of place he and Elle so desperately needed but could not access. Alex questioned what kind of legacy he would leave behind because he didn’t achieve all of the things that he wanted.
“We assured him that he had inspired so many people, and with the Alex Able retreat, he is giving people something that he never had access to. Alex wanted to help run it – he armed the family with a list of instructions of things he wanted to include.”
To help fund the project, Elle’s parents plan to sell their home and purchase a piece of land big enough for them to live and set up the retreat. From there, the charity will fund the guest accommodation and cover the running costs, ensuring visitors can benefit from a break when finances are often tight.
According to his mother-in-law, Alex imagined a nature-based retreat with organic vegetables for welcome boxes, honey from on-site hives, and a studio for painting or meditation, a peaceful space to process a diagnosis, spend time with loved ones, or recover after treatment.
Elle, her family and Alex’s closest friends have pledged to make it their life’s work to ensure The Alex Able Retreat supports as many people as possible, helping to make a frightening time feel a little easier. The team, who have volunteered as Trustees, have already submitted registration documents to the Charities Commission. Donations can still be made via Alex’s GoFundMe page, where funds are being safeguarded until the charity is formally registered.
You can find the link here: https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-give-alex-a-chance-rare-cancer-fight