Fundraiser to give 'lovely' young man the right send-off raises more than £1,000

James Gallagher died suddenly on Friday, January 28 at the age of 22, three years after a life-saving liver transplant.

James, who lived in Bilston, had suffered from cystic fibrosis and diabetes throughout his life and, at one point when he was 17, was told he had months to live before receiving the liver transplant.

He was in hospital over the last few months due to an ear infection. He was recently told he had been able to go home, but then had difficulty breathing while at home and was taken to hospital, where he sadly died, with the cause not yet known.

His family has now started a fundraising campaign to give the youngster the Liverpool FC-themed funeral he had planned when waiting for his liver transplant.

His cousin Suzanne Eastelow created the fundraising page and said it was there to help give James the send-off he deserved.

She said: "He was born with cystic fibrosis and his treatment upset his liver, which resulted in him needing a liver transplant when he was 17.

"He was a lovely chap and was always upbeat about everything, even considering how ill he was at times, and his family are just inconsolable at the moment.

"He had a bucket list and wrote a funeral plan and said he wanted a Liverpool-themed funeral, so we want to raise as much as we can to give him the right send-off.

"We didn't have a target of what we wanted to raise, but I set a target of £1,000 and we've already passed that, so I'm just trying to work out what we do with the rest of the funds once we've organised the funeral.

"I spoke to his mum and she said that while she wasn't expecting much to be left as funerals are expensive, if there was any month left, she would give it to a Cystic Fibrosis charity,"

To find out more about the fundraising appeal and to make a donation, go to gofundme.com/f/help-james-have-the-send-off-he-deserves.