Train death boy's family tribute

Published 26 Aug 2010 09:30

By Jennifer Black

A DEVASTATED family has paid tribute to their teenage son whose ‘world was his oyster’.

John New has spoken lovingly about his eldest son Anthony, 17, who was killed by a train last Tuesday night.

The Johnstone man explained how he and his wife Maureen watched their son’s teenage years destroyed by cancer after being diagnosed with the disease at 14.

John, from Spateston, said: “When he took ill he was ill for nine months before we could even get to the bottom of what was wrong with him - that was in 2007. And in the November we were told that it was two brain tumours and he went through his treatment fairly well, he wasn’t sick or in pain or anything and he went through his radiotherapy the following year and started on all the tablets and growth hormones.

“After that he tried to go back to school but there was too much damage done he just couldn’t get back.

“He was a grade A pupil, everything was so easy to him. He could have done anything - the world was his oyster he was so clever but when he went back, he just couldn’t do it.”

Anthony, who has two younger brothers Patrick, 15, and Declan, 12, was a pupil at St Benedict’s High School.

At times he was able to attend class but other days he was overcome with exhaustion and slept for up to 17 hours a day - a situation his father described as a ‘deathly task’.

Because of this the teenager became more isolated as he tried to return to a normal life.

However his love of driving, football and Celtic kept him going and he was even invited to met all the players at Lennoxtown, the club’s training ground.

Sadly things took another turn for the worse last year when Anthony stopped talking.

John explained: “For some reason, we’re still not sure what happened, last October he stopped speaking.

“He had a terrible and tiny whisper of a voice which no-one could understand what he was saying so he became lost in this body that was failing him. And that was horrendous for him. The wee soul was just trapped in this body that was failing him and he probably decided to hit back at his body that had given him so much grief.”

His dad believes that his body let him down and he just couldn’t go on.

John said: “He had no energy to go out and work or to do anything, we really feared for him for his future and he really was disabled from that perspective.

“So it was his way of releasing himself from all of this.

“He has had four years - really difficult hard years. He was worn out and as much as we’re in pain and suffering terribly for it, in a way we know he is at rest and he is out of all this suffering.”

Although Anthony had beaten the cancer it remained unclear if he would ever make a full recovery.

The damage the disease had caused was still ongoing and the family have asked for the autopsy to look and see if there was any sign that the cancer had came back. Recently Anthony’s appetite had disappeared which was one of the first things that happened back in 2007.

John added: “Whether he had awareness of things changing and he was frightened of the possibility of it returning I don’t know.

“But to all intents and purposes the cancer killed him because he suffered so badly.”

When he was younger Anthony’s dad described him as an extremely smart and funny child with a very close bond with his two brothers.

John said: “To go from a three child family to a two - there is such a big hole. He was a joy to have in the short time we had him.

“He was too young to die but there was nothing left - he had done everything he had to do on this earth and his time was up.

“His life was short but the biggest stars in the universe burn the brightest but they burn out very quick because they are burning so brightly.”

Anthony’s funeral will be held at St Aidan’s Church in Tower Road at 10am today (Wednesday).

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This article appeared in The Gazette 25 Aug 10

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