Cancer Sucks

I know I speak for many when i say your presence leaves a lasting positive impression, and if this thing does indeed go south know we are several generations eternally grateful for your time over these decades.
You do indeed.

I came here after finding out about Top Gear and trying to piece together episodes with clips from YouTube. There had to be a better way and I found it on the old front page. A lot has changed since then and sadly, it appears that a "change" for the much worse will happen soon-ish. I thank you and wish you nothing but the best, Alex, whatever shape the best may come in.
 
Man, that sucks... I’ve been away from the forum for a while, and I’ve never been able to actually meet you, but it still hits me fucking hard. Like many here, I’ve spent about half my life here, talked to so many people, made friends and even met them (remember when it was weird to drive 800km to meet “the people from the internet”?). I’ve moved to many places but still had people to talk to even when it felt kind of alone out there, and was able to keep track of how everyone was doing even if I haven’t been posting that much.

You’ve made it possible, you’ve created this place and all these relationships and friendships.

Thank you.
 
I wish that this is just a horrible nightmare and I'll wake up tomorrow and everything will be just fine.
I can't imagine what my life would have been like without FG, I've been here most my adult life, met some awesome people I would never have met if it wasn't for you <3
 
Although I haven't been around much, I've been reading the blog posts, and since the news, been wondering what to say. Like the others, it's the shit end of the stick and #fuckcancer and you've defeated so much and got so far, and it smacks you in the teeth again.

But, I am going to say, I'm glad:
  • you and some mates found that pokey little show and helped the desperate fans get their fix
  • you decided that we could also discuss the show, and all the other things that come from a group of people
  • you created an environment that is unlike any other I've found out there (along with Q and T and everyone else that helped out)
  • you finally became a petrol head with a driver's license
  • you stopped dithering and became a viper owner (I didn't bully you into it that much :sneaky:)
  • you actually drove it (not just polished it on weekends), and even crashing it is a badge of honour (albeit heartache and wallet ache)
  • you and Q got to go to Ringmeet, finally meet up, and have an awesome trip
  • you got a fantastic job that gave to a platform to create some really useful things and give you some really amazing experiences
  • that despite the shit, you're still you

You've made your mark on this planet, with code that has helped tens of millions, forums and releases that have helped tens of thousands and grown a family that, no matter how far we stray, for the big stuff WA/Telegram/email inboxes/conversations get flooded as news travels.

Thankyou for everything
 
I forgot that Alex, the man who had created the largest Top Gear site on the Internet, the person who played a role in popularizing it around the globe, didn't have a driver's license. You can't get more Top Gear than that!
 
For the last few days I've been trying to find the right words - there aren't any. I'm really glad to have met you, Alex. You've created a community here, a place where people who were brought together by nothing more than watching the same stupid car show became a family. Because of what you've built, we have formed friendships we never would have been able to without you. Your legacy is far greater than this forum, but this is the part of you that has made the biggest impact on our lives.

Thank you.
 
I don't really know what to say, but I'll just try. Part of it is just that I can't fully wrap my head around it, and the other part is that it feels like everything I could say has already been said. But it feels even more wrong not to say anything at all, because even if we had little direct contact, you have very tangibly and significantly impacted my life.

So I want to thank you, for everything you've done to build this community and nurture it. You've brought so many people together, allowed them to revel in their passion and even inspired with your own petrolhead career. Taking a step back to look at it, it's a really genuinely amazing accomplishment.

I can only hope, as your time with us is being cut so painfully and unfairly short, that the knowledge that you've had such a wonderfully positive impact on so many people's lives will provide you just the tiniest amount of solace. Because you rock, and for all of us the world is a more beautiful place thanks to you.
 
I still remember reading your post about the diagnosis on Friday, October 21st, 2016, a mere hour before becoming father for the second time... the grim news made it into an evening of mixed feelings that got progressively worse as stuff didn't go as planned, but eventually sorted itself out. It makes me really sad, that the same can't be said about your health issues...

I'd just like to say that I'm grateful to you for creating this website, that got me into Top Gear 10 years ago and for creating these forums, that further revived my interest in things automotive and that eventually lead to meeting the members of this community - including yourself, a genuinely nice bloke - in person for the first time in 2015. You are not going to be forgotten, not by me, not by many, many others...
 
While I have told you via Messenger and on FB practically what everybody has said here too, I feel that adding it here to the long list of people just concentrates it in one place and puts it into perspective with all the others..

I have been shocked from day 1 about the whole cancer deal and was pretty pessimistic early on, just reading up on your kind of leukemia and all of that.. but you fighting so much all those years and beating initial odds made me rather optimistic in the end.. which makes it even harder to now accept that the fight is lost.

You definitely know, like many others here, how big of an impact you had on my life by creating this community. All the chats, all the Ringmeets, Roadtrips, Aduvesters (and for others Finnmeets, Skitrips, etc) and all the other impromtu meets us FinalGear folks do constantly.. all the friendships.. and for me specifically, there is literally dozens of friends I have gained in Texas and other parts of the US over the years that have no connection to FG whatsoever, but it all is because of FG, because equi and Nugget convinced me to visit Texas while they were here for Ringmeet. Years later I know people and have friends across various communities and groups of people on the other side of the world that all began there. Rallycross people, Trackday, fellow crazy LeMons people, people in the automotive industry, gun folks, people into old american boats like mine.. so many people, so many things, so many stories and memories..

Fuck, where are those onions coming from? ?

Alex, thank you for everything, and know you will never be forgotten!

Anything I or we can do for you or FG, just ask!
 
I just want to add that I thank you for doing all that you’ve done for us. I don’t think I included that in my original post here.
 
Fuck.
 
From Alex’s Family

Alex was with his family when he passed peacefully earlier today, Wednesday, February 27th. We would like to thank everyone across the globe for their love and support. It meant a lot to us and Alex to hear from so many people. He really enjoyed reading all of the comments, letters, and cards.

We’re so grateful for the time we had with him. He will be missed.
Goodbye, Alex, and thank you. My condolences to his loved ones.
 
Absolutely gutted. So unfair that he didn't have more time, but can at least be sanguine in that he is no longer suffering.

I humbly suggest that we do burnouts in his honor.

On a more serious note, if anyone is contact with his family and if they need anything, or have a preferred research fund/charity/fuckthiscancerbullshit thing we can throw some money at, I'm in.
 
Shit.

I knew it was coming, but it's still a kick to the gut.
 
On a more serious note, if anyone is contact with his family and if they need anything, or have a preferred research fund/charity/fuckthiscancerbullshit thing we can throw some money at, I'm in.

This. I never got a chance to donate to the forum like I wanted to but I definitely want to contribute to any support fund if that's a thing that they're ok with the forum collectively doing.
 
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