Glasgow family left with 'hole in heart' after beloved son loses battle with cancer
A Glasgow family have been left devastated after their beloved cousin, brother and son lost his long battle with brain cancer.
William Kerr started to complain of pins and needles in his foot and those closest to him noticed the 33-year-old's personality had changed almost two years ago.
In December 2022 doctors diagnosed the Baillieston man with a Stage 4 Glioblastoma, which is a serious tumour found on the brain. William broke the news that it was incurable to his loved ones a week before Christmas.
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The determined 33-year-old bravely agreed to an operation where a portion of the tumour would be cut away, however, he sadly suffered a massive stroke and seizure.
Whilst undergoing vital treatment to control the cancer, William was also learning to walk and talk again. At the start of April 2024 he started to have headaches for a few days before suffering another seizure.
William was moved to the Marie Curie hospice where he sadly passed away surrounded by loved ones on May 4 not long after celebrating his birthday.
His cousin, Stephanie Martin, told Glasgow Live: "William never had a lot of symptoms.
"He had a bit of pins and needles in his foot but he was going up and down the stairs with work all the time. He thought that his boots were just tight around his feet.
"His personality and mood began to change. William was always a happy guy but in the months leading up to his diagnosis he wasn't himself.
"When he found out about the diagnosis it turned out that a personality change is one of the symptoms. On one occasion when he was in the pub with his brother-in-law he struggled to lift his pint up, he didn't seem co-ordinated.
"But he had no headaches so we never knew that he had brain cancer. The family crumbled when we found out, we couldn't believe it.
"He was just 31 and we couldn't understand that he had cancer. We were allowed to have Christmas dinner with him in the Queen Elizabeth Hospital with William.
"They set out a room for us because we thought it'd be the last Christmas we'd get to spend with him. He was battling to walk and talk again over the next year.
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"William went through radiotherapy and then he was taking a chemo tablet. He did everything to prolong his life.
"He was told that he had weeks or months to live but he fought for 16 months. The strength he had was unbelieveable.
"He wasn't ready to die."
Stephanie is adamant that Rangers-mad William was thinking of his family, especially his sister Pamela Kerr, up until his last breath.
The 34-year-old explained: "I was with him in the Marie Curie when he passed away.
"His sister had just left with his uncle to check on their gran. He passed while they were away.
"I think William was waiting on Pamela to be out of the room before leaving us. We are so close as a family and he was always trying to protect other people.
"When he was first diagnosed, he told us that it should be him because everyone else had children. It was heartbreaking."
The happy-go-lucky 33-year-old will be remembered by those who knew him most for his kind-hearted nature and love for a party.
Stephanie said: "He lived for his friends and family. He was a typical young boy and loved Rangers.
"He has left a hole in our hearts. It is hard to explain how much he will be missed.
"I don't know anyone who has said a bad word about him. He lost his dad at a young age so we keep saying that William is back with his dad now.
"He was very loved."
A gofundme has been set up to ease the financial burden on William's mother and give him the send off he deserves.
Click here to visit the fundraiser