A young Angus leukaemia sufferer who left an indelible impression on all he met has lost his battle against the illness.
Twelve-year-old Adam Lear-Jones died in Edinburgh’s Royal Hospital for Sick Children, surrounded by the family who watched the youngster tackle the disease head on for seven years.
Adam was coming to the end of a block of intensive chemotherapy whilst waiting for a bone marrow transplant, but a ravaged immune system was unable to fight off a cold and he succumbed to the leukaemia which, sadly, he appeared to have beaten until last year.
On Sunday Adam’s devastated parents, Mark and Louise, paid tribute to their son, who they said had made a huge impact on the lives of many.
At their Eassie home they said Adam’s determination not to let the disease get in the way of his life and friendships had been an inspiration.
Adam, who was born in Forfar’s Whitehills Hospital, was diagnosed with leukaemia when he was five, and about to move from nursery into primary school.
The discovery of acute lymphoblastic leukaemia was devastating he was even rushed under police escort to Edinburgh after the signs of the disease were picked up at Ninewells Hospital, Dundee.
Adam underwent intensive chemotherapy for more than three years before the family received the news that there was no trace of leukaemia in the bone marrow.’Loved’ friendsHe carried on with regular clinical appointments but, sadly, just before his 10th birthday, experts discovered fresh signs of the disease, this time in his central nervous system.
Mrs Lear-Jones said, “They had found a donor, but Adam was too poorly move to Glasgow to begin the transplant process.
“He was in Edinburgh coming to the end of this last block of treatment and he caught a cold which he could not fight.”
She added, “He never said, ‘Why me’ there was no self-pity, he just accepted that, sometimes, those are the breaks and he didn’t want it to get in the way of him doing what he could.
“He loved his friends. Adam moved schools from Letham to Aberlemno and then Eassie and he never worried about that, he just got on with things and was immediately friends with everyone.
“He’s an example to everybody,” said Mrs Lear-Jones of her son, who is survived by his siblings Daniel (7), Anstice (16) and Melody (24).
Mr Lear-Jones (42) said, “He took it on the chin and never complained once.
“When he was not in hospital he wanted to be at school as much as he could to be with his friends not one day did he say ‘I can’t be bothered to go’.”‘Big party’Adam was due to move to secondary at Webster’s High School in Kirriemuir after summer.
Mr Lear-Jones said, “There are only two P7s at Eassie this year and he was so apologetic to the other pupil in his class that he wouldn’t be with her for the induction days.
“Even when he was so ill he asked us to tell her that he was sorry she would have to go on her own.”
In accordance with Adam’s wishes, his funeral at Parkgrove crematorium on Wednesday at 3.30pm will be a celebration of his life.
Mrs Lear-Jones said, “Adam said to us that it should be a big party, and that is what we will make it.”
Nobody was more impressed by Adam’s outlook than the medical teams who looked after him.
Mr Lear-Jones said, “The staff are all brilliant in those hospitals and we can only thank them for what they did for Adam.
“People only had to meet Adam once to remember him and that was the case with the teams there.”