At 22, you should have your whole life in front of you. You should be able to go out with your mates and enjoy a beer. You should be able to enjoy a kick around in the park.
But he couldn't. An underlying heart condition had landed him in a hospital bed, gasping for breath, hooked up to an oxygen mask, unable to get out of bed without having to stop for breath.
2 years before, he had seemed to be just like any other young man, just like the other members of his band. He had always loved having a game of footy in the local park, going out for meals with his girlfriend.
But one night, just after his 21st birthday, on stage with his band, McFly, he suddenly collapsed, his heart had stopped beating. Thankfully he was rushed to hospital, and they managed to save him, but his heart was severely damaged.
From then on everyone could see that once simple task now seemed so much harder on him, but he fought on, never one to be seen as 'weak'. But it soon got to the point where he had no energy at all, not even to pick up his bass.
He refused to say anything to the others, but they could see it, see that he was struggling, so they confronted him, and told him that they were stopping the band, for him. There was the typical argument, but even the argument wore him out.
His fiancée, Charli, was there for the confrontation, the pain of seeing Dougie so unlike himself clear in her eyes. She had known him since he was 13 and had stolen her skateboard and she had given him a black eye for it. That was the Dougie she missed. She was only 19, she hadn't even wanted to get engaged, but it was that coy little smile he had, it convinced her.
The other girls, Kim, Bec and Briana all looked after her well, she was the youngest, they were her besties. Everyone looked after each other, but Dougie and Charli were referred to as 'The Babies', they were special.
All she wanted was for his pain to go away, to never have to look and him and feel like she was constantly about to cry. She knew she was lucky just to have him then, he shouldn't have made it after his collapse but he did. Charli just hoped that his luck would continue.
But hope and wishes don't always come true. Soon Dougie couldn't get out of bed without having to sit and get his breath back for a good 2 or 3 minutes. Not long after that he was admitted to hospital, and put on the transplant waiting list. His heart was giving up. He was dying.
They all spent every moment they could with him, he was never alone that was for sure. Charli had to juggle her shift at the local shop, thankfully her boss was understanding, and anytime someone's phone rang when they weren't at the hospital they held their breath.
In a strange way Dougie had accepted his fate. Even if he did get a new heart, he wouldn't be the same. He hated seeing the three women he loved most in the world cry about him; his mum, his sister and his fiancée. They talked about him while they thought he was asleep, how worried they were, talking to the doctors about his chances, revealing their innermost fears.
He knew most nights Charli fell asleep crying while holding his hand, that little bit of physical contact giving her strength to get through the days. He desperately wanted to tell her it would be alright, but he knew that might not be the case. He savoured everyday he had with her; scared it would be his last.