Family pays tribute to brave John

A WIFE today paid tribute to her husband who lost his brave battle with a rare skin disease.

John Crack died on Thursday after a long fight against leukaemia and paraneoplastic pemphigus (PNP) - a skin condition so rare most doctors will never see it.

Today Maureen Crack, his wife of 38 years, said: “Everything John did was for his family. He was so dedicated to us.

“He always had a very jokey personality, although it had faded while he was ill recently.

“When he found out he had cancer he was determined to make the most of his life and we enjoyed many holidays abroad. His favourite was when we went to Tangier in Morocco and he went on a camel.”

Mr Crack, 60, of Davey Close, was diagnosed with cancer in 2001. He noticed ulcers on his tongue and the inside of his mouth in December and was diagnosed in March with PNP.

PNP, which is thought to affect only two other people in the UK, is a non-infectious disease which caused painful sores in his mouth and lesions on his skin, and occurs most often in people with cancer.

Mrs Crack, 57, said: “We had been expecting him to pass away.

“He came out of hospital for the final time on April 23 and since then he was bed-ridden and his condition had gone downhill.

“He was in absolute agony so it's a happy release to know he's now at peace.

“I wasn't actually with him when he went as I had gone downstairs. A relative called me and when I went up there he was gone, so I took his hand and held it.

“It was his wish to die at home, so I'm glad he was able to have that.

“I'd like to thank my family and friends for their support, and particularly the staff at the Lattice Barn Doctors' Surgery.”

Mr Crack, a former HGV driver, had three children - Elizabeth, 37, Matthew, 35, and Andrew, 33 - and 12 grandchildren, with another grandchild due to be born next month.

Would you like to pay tribute to Mr Crack? Write to Your Letters, Evening Star, 30 Lower Brook Street, Ipswich, IP4 1AN, or e-mail eveningstarletters@eveningstar.co.uk.