A musical tribute to Frank Kopel, the former Dundee United player battling dementia, has been released to raise funds for Alzheimer Scotland.
To Frankie (You Don’t Remember) has been released on CD by family friend Roy Duncan, who wrote and recorded his very personal song before offering it to the Kopels to help support the charity.
Frank’s wife, Amanda, said it was a surprise when Roy came to tell her he had written the song for them, but she was delighted he would donate the money raised to her chosen charity.
She said: “I just feel so humbled that he’s done this for us. It is not very often people get a song written for them and if Frankie could understand he would be gobsmacked at what people are doing for him.”
Roy, 51, who sings and plays guitar with local band High Mileage, has known Frank for 25 years and used to play five-a-side with him after he retired from professional football.
Roy was inspired to write the song from Amanda’s point of view as a carer to raise awareness of the condition and said that, once he sat down to do it, the words came easily.
He said: “I have lost a couple of friends to Alzheimer’s but I didn’t realise when I wrote the words how much emotion it would bring out in people.”
Amanda said the deeply personal song struck a chord with her and everyone who knows Frankie, but it would also resonate with anyone who has lost a loved one to dementia.
She said: “The bit that pulls at my heart goes, ‘Can I step into your world and I’ll show you the memories you lost long ago.’
“I’m trying to do that every day. He doesn’t remember the day we married or the day our son, Scott, was born.”
Although Frank relies on Amanda as his day-to-day carer, he does have some moments of clarity, which she said make her very emotional.
She said: “The other day he just suddenly said, ‘Amanda, I love you and I always will. You get more beautiful every day.’ For that split few seconds I thought, I’ve got my husband back. Those are the moments that I will treasure. For him to say that will live with me every day, even after he is gone.”
Copies of the CD, priced £3, are available from Duncan Jewellery and Gifts in Kirriemuir, or the Tutties Neuk Inn, Arbroath. Already half of the 1,000 copies have been sold and Roy has said that if they all sell out he will probably do anotherproduction run.
Roy also organised a charity raffle, which raised £330 for the charity.