A terminally ill north-east man preparing to spend his last Christmas with his loved says he’s determined not to let callous thieves ruin the precious time he has left.
Neil Bremner’s property in Banff was broken into by thoughtless thieves who made off with priceless family possessions in the early hours of yesterday morning.
And for the 44-year-old father of two, the raid was a bitter blow following the “toughest of years” as he battles an extremely rare form of cancer.
“We have been aiming towards this for such a long time and making this the best Christmas ever,” Mr Bremner said.
“My two wee girls are just devastated.”
The culprits made off with a host of belongings from the entrance area of the house including Mr Bremners medication and medical records, his late grandfather’s coat which he vowed would always hang at the door, and all of his daughters’ coats and shoes as well as a new carpet cleaning machine delivered just that day.
He managed to scare them away before they made it any further into the family home.
Mr Bremner, who believes at least two people are responsible, says they also smashed up the family’s outdoor Christmas tree at the front of the house.
He said: “We have a sign on the door stating that I’m terminally ill and it means doctors, nurses and even the postie know just to come in. It also says thank you to everyone who has helped us through this time.
“This was the last straw for me, after the year we’ve had it feels a real kick in the teeth.
“I’m now worried about my kids feeling unprotected in their own home. I don’t need that. I feel I am leaving them alone as it is.
“I’m not religious but there is magic at this time of year and I would like to say that applies for everyone.”
My Bremner, originally from Aviemore, was diagnosed with Leiomyosarcoma – which affects one in 20 million people – in November 2019.
His form of the disease is so far advanced that he was given just six months to live then.
He has battled on bravely since then but the cancer has spread to his heart, lungs, arms and legs, leaving him in constant pain and aware that he does not have much time left.
After a few “bad scares” in the last few weeks, he set his sights on a celebrating a perfect Christmas day with wife Sarah and their daughters Kayleigh, 15 and Dacey, 13.
However he was shocked to hear the intruders as he lay in bed, unable to sleep due to pain, at around 1.30am on Monday.
“Our door is always open because doctors and nurses are always coming in,” he added.
“I heard something and knew it didn’t sound right but it takes me so long to get going.
“By the time I got downstairs I’d disturbed them and they’d gone.”
Despite his illness, Mr Bremner, summoned the strength to haul himself to his truck and search around Banff and Macduff looking for anything untoward while police officers did likewise.
Despite battling with “that horrible feeling” of not being there to protect his family, the former sales manager at Hawco and Sons Volkswagen says he’s determined to put on his trademark smile again and remain grateful for the good people in his life.
“I have a job to do and that’s to be the best dad I can be – and to have Christmas day with my family,” he said.
“I will get going again.
“With the situation I’m leaving them in, my daughters have had to grow up quickly. A cold could kill me, never mind Covid, so they’ve been staying at home and acting as carers too.
“My focus was to give them a really good Christmas day. We were so close so this is a real kick in the teeth.
“I am not a religious man, but I am a people person. I believe in people being kind.”
Since Monday morning the family has been inundated with messages of support from friends and family.
“The response since this has been crazy,” Mr Bremner added.
“I’ve had messages from all the family and we have people asking what the kids need in terms of jackets and shoe sizes. People are really rallying round, it’s been incredible and in the space of just a few hours.”
A Police Scotland spokesman added: “Around 1.25am on Monday, December 21, officers were called to a property in the Old Castlegate area of Banff, following a report of a break-in. Enquiries into the incident are at an early stage.”
