The family of a young man with Crohn's disease who died at just 26 believe his debilitating illness started with an unfortunate football tackle at school when he was eight.
Connor Horton, who lived in Rock near Kidderminster in Worcestershire, passed away in June having lived with the condition for 18 years.
Conner's brother Jay Shredder 28, said Connor's condition was a very severe case which ruined most of his life.
“He missed out on having a proper childhood as he was constantly sick, had no energy and ended up dropping out of college in the end," he told Birmingham Mail.
There is currently no cure for Crohn's disease and little is known about what causes it, but Jay and his family believe it began with a football tackle when Connor was just eight.
He said: “It started when we were kids as he got tackled quite badly at primary school playing football. His knee flared up a lot and he became more and more ill and never got better after that.
“Doctors couldn’t pinpoint what was wrong. They eventually diagnosed Crohn’s. They don’t know what causes Crohn’s but it just needs a trigger, so I assume that tackle was what triggered something in Connor's body.
“Doctors hadn’t come across anything like Connor’s side effects before and specialists flew over from America to see him. Only one in every 60 days was a good day for him, if he was lucky."
Jay, a musician, engineer and music producer in Worcestershire, who tours with metal acts including Matt Sorum from Guns N’Roses and Ricky Warwick of Thin Lizzy, recalled: “When we were kids, Connor would be smiley, we’d throw worms at each other and play in the field.
"But as Connor got worse, he didn’t smile much. It changed how he looked and he didn’t want photos taken. Connor felt very defeated with life.”
Crohn’s disease causes swelling of tissues in the digestive system that can lead to abdominal pain, severe diarrhoea, weight loss and life-threatening complications.
The NHS website explains that it is believed certain factors can play a role in the disease, for example if it runs in the family through genes and if the immune system is affected, causing it to attack the digestive system.
Connor was a pupil at Abberley Primary School and The Chantry School in Martley but later became housebound by the condition. He was in constant need of the toilet and had unusual side effects such as large swellings under his arms that needed to be drained.
He was treated by Birmingham Children’s Hospital until he turned 18 and his mum Rosie Horton became his carer. His death on June 24 was due to pneumonia and complications related to the disease.
“For the ten days before he died, he was bed-bound and wouldn’t talk or walk,” said Jay. “But he messaged me on Facebook in the middle of the night joking about our mum’s cooking.
"He said he was feeling better, but he died two days later. That was the last time I talked to him.”
It was after Connor died that his family found out about the secret world his brother was living online. Hearing about friendships Connor formed within the gaming community internationally gave Jay relief that his brother found happiness despite being in despair over his condition.
Forced to live a life from his bedroom, it emerged that Connor had helped people struggling with depression. One girl online even spoke about how Connor had sent her a positivity board when she was at her lowest ebb.
“It’s been amazing to hear how Connor never stopped trying to help people despite what he was going through,” said Jay. “He was private about it all when he was alive but I’ve had some amazing conversations with people who absolutely loved and cared about him, from Norway to Manchester.”
Jay is using money raised after Connor’s death on a GoFundMe page to set up a charity to raise more public awareness about Crohn’s disease and support families and patients with the illness. He plans to announce further news when it has been organised hopes to hold a public memorial service for Connor.
