'Gavin gave us strength'

From the archive, first published Thursday 8th Dec 2005.

The family of a fearless young man who lived life to the full despite a heart-breaking battle against cancer have paid tribute to their "bright, leading light".

Gavin Sturgess was just 24 when he finally lost his five-year fight against Hodgkins lymphoma, a type of cancer that sees tumours attack the lymphatic system disabling the body's blood filter.

Today the former Bingley Grammar School pupil's family and friends will meet at Nab Wood Crematorium to say their final farewells after a private service at St Lawrence's Church in Eldwick, close to Gavin's home where he was baptised last year on Easter Sunday.

Gavin's mum Julie, a retired nursing sister, said her stoic son refused to give up on life and had been looking forward to being cured.

He was determined to survive the last-chance stem-cell transplant he had at St James's Hospital in September and had bought new clothes to celebrate the fresh start he longed for.

And he had been planning a tandem parachute jump when he was better to raise cash for Airedale Hospital's Haema-tology and Oncology Day Unit, where he and his parents were nicknamed The Three Musketeers because they were always together.

"He was fearless as a young child and never lost that. He used go to highboard diving championships. Mountain biking, skateboarding, he was never still, anything high-risk he wanted to have a go," said Julie.

Even when he was desperately ill, Gavin made the most of brief remissions to go out camping and hiking in the Dales with friends. He also qualified as an electrician at Keighley College, where he won awards for best student, and terrified his parents and big sister Felicity, 29, by riding a trail bike, doing parachute jumps and passing his motorbike test.

"He frightened us to death but he knew how precious doing all of this was. He had so many dreams and had a wealth of experience to share," said his mum.

After five years of chemo-therapy, radiotherapy, invasive scans and a transplant of his own stem-cells, Gavin finally got the go-ahead to have an unrelated donor stem cell transplant but had to wait 18 months to be well enough.

Tragically, two weeks after the transplant at St James's Hospital, complications set in - but he still managed to fight back from the brink.

Although Gavin was able to talk after he regained consciousness, he could not move his body and developed an infection. He was so exhausted by his trauma he was sedated for his last hours and his family called his best friends to join them for a vigil.

Julie said: "He knew we were all there. Everybody was holding him and touching him. I kissed him and told him how much I loved him and that he had to let go because he needed a long sleep. He just slipped away, it was if he was waiting for my permission to go."

Dad Bob, who stayed for 12 weeks by Gavin's side at St James's, added: "He was a tremendous fighter. He fought every inch of the way. Never once did he not fight although he was desperately ill, right until the end he battled on.

"We sat for hours chatting and getting extraordinarily close. He called me his best buddy. I had the privilege to have more time and more interaction with him than many other fathers would probably have with lads

of his age.

"We knew Gavin was so special but he touched so many more lives. Men in their 60s and 70s on his ward would stop me and tell me how Gavin had comforted them, given them courage and strength to face their own battles.

"I was proud of him as a son but as a man he was the finest, strongest most gentlest man I have ever known. He was a bright, leading light and gave us strength."

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