By Leicester Mercury | Posted: 24 May, 2015
Artist Doug Hyde has given Loros hospice patient Clive Panteney a picture entitled Happy Families.
Clive first fell in love with the painting – which shows two adults, two children and a dog – when he was on a cruise with his family five years ago.
The Burbage dad of two, who was diagnosed with cancer in March last year, has been at Loros for seven weeks and daughter Charlotte said she wanted to do something special for him. She decided she would give her 50-year-old dad a copy of Happy Families – but discovered there were none left.
In desperation, Charlotte, 23, messaged Doug via Facebook, asking if there was any way he could help her find a copy.
Within a matter of hours, hundreds of people had shared her message and Doug's management, who were controlling his Facebook account, had got in touch.
They told Charlotte they had spoken to Doug and he was going to have a copy of Happy Families sent to her father.
Charlotte cried when she heard the news.
"I just couldn't believe it," she said. "The picture is of a happy family, and that's just like us – we're a happy family."
On Friday, staff from Whitewall Galleries travelled to Loros, in Groby Road, Leicester, and delivered the picture – which was Doug's personal proof copy – to Clive, Charlotte and the rest of the family.
"I felt really emotional when I saw the painting," said Charlotte.
"It was a very special for all of us, especially my dad.
"At the end of the day, he's poorly and we can't change that. But we can give him something special."
The picture was signed with the message: "To Clive, very best wishes, Doug."
Charlotte said: "For Doug to do this for Dad is so amazing." Doug said: "When I heard Charlotte and Clive's story I was touched by how much my artwork meant to the family.
"It was a pleasure for me to do something that meant so much and brought a little happiness at this sad time."
Clive's wife, Maxine, said when she told her husband about the picture, he said it was "bloody marvellous" and things "couldn't get better than that".
She said: "Every time I look at it, I'm going to smile."
