Brothers release footage of their father, 75, being nursed an hour before he died of cancer to break taboo of discussing terminal illness
Two brothers who documented their father's battle with terminal cancer have released footage of the final hours before his death in an effort to break the taboo around terminal illnesses.
Marcus, 24, and his brother Robin Brooker, 26, from Sudbury in Suffolk, decided to film their father John, 75, after he was told in 2018 that his bowel cancer was incurable.
With their father's blessing, Marcus, whose degree is in film, and his brother filmed Mr Brooker over the last two years of his life, right up until his death at their family home on May 15 last year.
The brothers hope to release their full documentary, called The Waiting Room, this summer and have released a five-minute short containing some of their footage.
John Brooker, 75, from Sudbury in Suffolk, was told in 2018 that his bowel cancer was incurable. He passed away at his family home on May 15 last year
Sons Marcus, 24, and Robin Brooker, 26, decided to film their father during his battle with the terminal illness
Running to around an hour, the documentary aims to break through the 'taboo of discussing terminal illness', Marcus said.
Their five-minute video, released this week, outlines some of their reasons for wanting to make the documentary and contains footage of Mr Brooker being nursed by his 50-year-old wife Fleur around an hour before his death.
During the clip, Marcus explains: 'I know lots of families where if you talk about cancer or death, people don't like talking about it and of course that's fine. It's a sad subject why would you?
'But I think it's healthy if we do start talking about cancer and how it affects people.'
The family is backing Cancer Research UK's appeal to help tackle a loss of research funding caused by Covid-19 and hope the film will help raise awareness of the need for the charity's work.
Marcus said his father, a retired nursing home manager, was diagnosed with cancer in 2004 but 'spent many happy years as an integral part of our family'.
'People with cancer can still have a good quality of life even if they have been given a terminal diagnosis, and that was exactly the case with my father, right up to his death,' he said.
'As a family, we were very open and honest about his diagnosis and prognosis and that helped us cope during a very difficult and traumatic time.
With their father's blessing, the brothers documented their father right up until his death last year. Pictured: Mr Brooker (second from right) with his wife Fleur, sons Marcus, Robin, Ben, and daughter-in-law Becky
The documentary, which is called The Waiting Room, aims to break through the 'taboo of discussing terminal illness'
'It helped break down barriers and allowed us to make the best of the limited time we had left together.
'It made a huge difference to my father and it lifted a huge emotional burden weighing down on the family.
'We didn't lose any precious time skirting around issues and, oddly enough, it allowed us to come closer as a family.
He went on: 'I stopped filming just half-an-hour before my father died and then ten minutes later I was filming again.
'It was the hardest thing I have had to do, but I knew I had to be faithful to the documentary and also, more importantly, to my father.
'He wanted me to film his last moments because that was part of the story and he knew that.
'I hope this film does make a difference to how people talk about cancer and something positive can come out of my father's death.
'He was a very brave man and I'm proud of him for the way he handled his own death and sharing his story.'
He said that people do not talk about cancer enough, adding: 'By not opening up and talking, we are shutting the door on something that needs to be shared with the people we love most.'
His father's life was prolonged thanks to Cancer Research, he said, adding that better treatment gave his father extra quality time with his family.
To donate to Cancer Research UK, see www.cruk.org/give.