Britain's loneliest pensioner reveals he has cancer - and details heartbreaking night time routine
10 June 2023, 18:20
Britain's loneliest pensioner has revealed that he is suffering from cancer - and leaves his will out every night unless he passes away while he sleeps.
John Foster, 76, has outlived his entire family and has no friends and made headlines after being dubbed the loneliest pensioner in Britain by journalists.
Mr Foster, a former shipyard worker, lives alone in Sunderland and can now only eat liquid protein mixes - being unable to digest solid food.
He visits his family's graves every day - and confirmed in his appearance on Channel 4 documentary Britain's Forgotten Pensioners that he has turned his fridge off due to rising energy costs.
He confirmed in the documentary that he leaves documents pertaining to his death out every night for whoever would find his body if he passed away in the night - in a heartbreaking ritual.
John said: "It's no life, it's not living, it's just existing, things were bad enough but now I can't even enjoy the little things.
"I used to love my breakfasts, sometimes I'd even have two, one of the only joys I had left, now I can't eat anything, I'm sick to death.
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"I have to take three of these bottles a day and they're horrible, they taste like chemicals, everything I try to eat does now.
"I used to love pasties too, I've tried to eat small bits but they taste like the drugs I'm taking.
John confirmed that he is receiving chemotherapy to treat his condition - which he has said leaves him exhausted constantly.
He added: "To be honest, I would rather not be here.
"People can't survive like this, the drugs attack everything, I felt fine until I got diagnosed, I thought I had a hernia and it would be a simple check-up.
"The doctor sat me down and told me it was serious, my health has deteriorated since starting chemo, I just don't have the energy for anything.
"I said to the doctor last time I went for a check-up, can you please just give me something to end it all.
"I usually go cut the grass at the cemetery on a Saturday, and I look forward to it, I am so tired I don't know if I can even do that anymore, anything I once enjoyed - I can't do".
John has been alone since his last relative, his sister Joan, 74, six years ago.
Of Joan, he said: "People thought we were a married couple we were that close, we did everything together, I miss her so much.
"We were such a close-knit family, none of us left the family home. It was mam, dad, me, my younger brother Tom and my sister."