Tributes have been paid to a teenage boy who "saw the positive in everything" following his tragic death aged 19. Kieran Cameron, from West Lothian, passed away on Sunday, June 21 after a brave lifelong battle with hypogammaglobulinaemia – a rare condition that affects the immune system.
Critical Illness and Transfer to Specialist Care
He became critically ill with pneumonia before being transferred to Aberdeen Royal Infirmary for specialist treatment. But tragically, Kieran's kidneys and liver failed after his lungs failed to recover. His sister, Billie, is now fundraising for his funeral costs.
Speaking to Edinburgh Live, Billie, 22, said: "During his admission, we were told by medical staff he was the sickest person in Scotland at the time due to how critically ill he was. None of the doctors had worked with someone with his condition before. It’s a really rare immune system deficiency."
ECMO and Complications
Kieran was placed on ECMO, an advanced life-support machine used when the lungs are no longer able to provide enough oxygen to the body on their own. Although the intervention helped oxygenate his blood, his body continued to face "overwhelming" complications. His blood pressure became extremely unstable, his kidneys began to fail and he required dialysis treatment. Kieran's liver also started to show signs of failure.
She added: "He fought incredibly hard throughout his illness, but sadly passed away despite every effort to save him. Myself and my partner were by his bedside for his final days and he sadly passed only minutes after we left his room - we were about to go for the taxi to our coach as we got the phone call to say he passed, it was really sudden."
Remembering Kieran
Meanwhile, Billie remembered Kieran as being a "supportive" brother. She said: "He was always really funny, really positive, very easy to be around. He saw the positive in everything. You could always rely on him to bring your mood up. He was a very supportive brother. He loved walking his dog and used to take her on really long walks. He loved spending time with his friends. He was always out doing something, spending the majority of his time with his friends and girlfriend."
You can contribute towards Kieran's service by donating to his GoFundMe.
