Fundraiser launched for funeral of 'beloved' 19-year-old from West Lothian who died of pneumonia

The sister of a 19-year-old boy from West Lothian who died suddenly of pneumonia last month has set up a fundraiser to help his family give him the “send off he deserves”.

Kieran Cameron, who lived in Bathgate, was diagnosed with a rare immune system disorder at the age of two.

Kieran Cameron died spent his life in and out of hospital, but was finally given the green light to start working last year | Supplied

The condition left him at a high risk of falling ill with colds and flus and required him to attend hospital visits every three weeks.

Just last year, the 19-year-old had been cleared to work for the first time, and was looking to apply to college to study veterinary science.

But at the start of June, Kieran became seriously ill and was later diagnosed with pneumonia.

Kieran and his dog, Indie, who he "adored" | Supplied

His condition continued to deteriorate and he was transferred to Aberdeen Royal Infirmary to receive specialist treatment. However, he suffered severe complications and died on June 21.

“He was such a positive person. He was always active, always busy doing something,” said his sister Billie Cameron. “We’ve always been really close.”

The 22-year-old, from Fife, said she and her partner Lucia stayed by his bedside at the hospital “hoping and praying for a miracle”. They said they were “absolutely heartbroken” by the loss.

The pair are now facing the responsibility of arranging Kieran’s funeral, which they said they are struggling to afford amid the cost of living crisis.

“It’s not something we can really afford just out of the blue, so it’s been difficult,” she said. “We’ve had a good few people helping us out but it has been a bit stressful.”

As a result, Billie has set up a GoFundMe page for friends and family to help cover the costs. It has already raised over £2,400 in donations.

“I just want to give him a nice send off,” she said. “I hope everyone can come together and have a good day, to celebrate his life and share stories about him.

Over £2,400 has been raised for Kieran's funeral | Supplied

“We didn’t expect to raise so much so it’s been a really good surprise.”

She also hopes the fundraiser will help to raise awareness about hypogammaglobulinemia, the condition her brother lived with.

“Not a lot of the doctors he saw had worked with his condition before, some of them hadn’t even heard of it,” she said. “So I hope through the fundraiser we can help spread some awareness about it too.”

You can donate to the GoFundMe page here.