A 16-year-old boy who defied doctors after being hit by a car has died suddenly.
Liverpool fan Liam McCallum was just ten years old when he was hit by a car while playing with friends around the corner from his home in Liscolman, Northern Ireland. Liam was paralysed after the accident which also left him unable to talk.
Despite this, Liam's sister Aimee said he "defied every doctor and smiled through every bad card he was given" over the last six years. The 16-year-old was rushed to hospital on Thursday, June 8, after dad Alistair noticed his skin had turned blue.
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Aimee, 25, said: "I was with him on Wednesday and he was completely fine. On Thursday my dad came downstairs in the morning and he had turned himself over onto his stomach and he was blue. They couldn't understand why."
After undergoing blood tests followed by a CT scan, doctors discovered Liam had sepsis and a urinary tract infection as a result of a burst colon. Sepsis is a life threatening condition which occurs when the immune system goes into overdrive as it tries to fight an infection.
Liam died the following day on Friday, June 9, with his family by his bedside. He leaves behind mum Natasha, dad Alistair and three sisters: Aimee, Rachael and Lucy.
Aimee told the ECHO: "Six years ago Liam was hit by a car and it just left him completely paralysed. We've been dealing with that for the last six years.
"Originally, when Liam was hit they advised us to turn the machines off because there would be no brain activity. My mum and dad chose not to and it was probably the best decision they ever made.
"He's defied every doctor. He was never able to walk or talk again but these wee things that they said he would never do like see, or hear, or move parts of his body, he achieved all of those things.
"Every physio he did he tried his hardest. He did steps, he tried to speak and he tried singing to us. He found different ways to communicate. Everything he did he gave it his all. He wanted to be here."
Sister Rachael said Liam's main happiness in the last six years was Liverpool Football Club. The 16-year-old recently got to meet Jürgen Klopp and his Liverpool team at Anfield thanks to the Make-A-Wish Foundation.
Paying tribute, Aimee said: "He was Liverpool through and though. His whole bedroom is a Liverpool shrine. Liam was the strongest person I've ever met in my life.
"He brought a smile to everybody. We're all just so proud of him and how he tried his hardest over the last six years. I don't know anybody like Liam. I have never met anybody with so much willpower and determination."
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