Tributes have been paid by the family of an Edinburgh man after he passed away following a battle with sepsis. Dean Robertson, from the Wester Hailes area of the city, tragically died after suffering organ failure brought on by the infection.
The 27-year-old, who suffered from cerebral palsy, was just days away from his 28th birthday when his family received the heartbreaking news on May 3. Doctors had previously told Dean’s parents, Karen, 53, and Clarke, 50, that Dean would struggle to reach a traditional life expectancy but even despite this diagnosis he was said to have ‘fought from day one’ to defy all expectations.
The couple is hoping to raise money to give their son the send-off he deserves after the family were left in a difficult financial position due to the periods of time Karen had to take off work to care for her son throughout his life. Speaking to Edinburgh Live, they said: “The support we have had from people has been just amazing with people all over the world sending messages since Dean’s passing."
“We have found it very hard asking for funds for the funeral as we are not used to asking for help as a family. We are just hoping to raise enough money to give Dean the send off that he deserves.
“He was such an amazing person and fought from the day he was born and never gave up smiling. Last year I had to give up work to care for him but since his death we have had support from Hibs who have sent a strip for him to be buried in and the church has been sending us meals.
“Everyone has been wonderful.”
Dean’s godmother, Nicola Rennie, 43, also paid tribute to her godson, as she said that he would light up any room he entered with his amazing smile. “Dean sadly passed away on May 3, he was born with cerebral palsy but he took ill with sepsis which then led to organ failure”, she said.
“We had been expecting it for many years as his health was up and down but he is at peace now. One thing that his parents Karen and Clarke knew was that his quantity of life would be short but we never expected him to get to where he was.
“They made sure he had a quality of life as they took him on family holidays where he swam with dolphins and visited Harry Potter World. They always thought it was important to make as many memories as they could because they did not know when his time would come.
“Dean was always involved in all the family trips and parties, he was front and centre as well as always seen and heard. He could not walk or talk but he had the most amazing smile and would communicate through noises or laughing - he would also give you this side eye if he was not happy or did not like your chat.
“His presence in the wheelchair was so big but everyone saw past that with him as he would make people laugh and if you got him laughing you’d have to remind him to breathe as he would be hysterical. When he was in his latter years he had more sleepy moments but when he was away with his family he loved being part of the action.
“He would have a bell on his wheelchair and if it was dinged it would set him off laughing, he also really enjoyed people singing to him. Dean was a proud uncle and loved it when his nieces and nephews were born, he even liked it when they cried.
“For everybody that met Dean, he touched their life in some way - when he communicated with you through a noise it made you feel connected to him. His twin Holly was super close with him and if Dean was not up for a smile Holly could get one out of him, he would always have a smile for her.
“His big brothers loved him to bits and were super protective of him. His big brother Martin is due to get married and he would have been one of his best men along with his other big brother Craig. They are a super tight knit family and I feel lucky to be a small part of their world. When all the kids were born they were not phased by his disability and they saw him as just Dean.
“We started a GoFundMe as Karen had to give up working last year to look after Dean when his health deteriorated. The fundraiser will help cover the funeral costs as at the moment they are not in a position with funds to give him the send off they want.
“He was such a special person that he deserves a special send off and without fundraising the family may not be able to do everything they would like to. Dean and his family raised thousands for various charities such as Rachel House and CHAS who also supported him during his life.
“Karen did a rap one year that is still on Spotify and Dean also raised money by printing his feet on Christmas cards one year.
“Dean was a big Hibee. My daughter contacted the club to see if they could donate a shirt for the funeral and they sent one with Dean 27 on the back which he is due to be buried in. This is so special as he had a Hibs mural on his bedroom wall when he was younger.
“There will be a few events paying tribute to Dean such as a dart tournament that will be held annually and a Dean Robertson memorial cup that will be put on by the Westsider pub in Wester Hailes who are also due to host his wake. His brother is involved with the pub team there and they will be holding a minute’s silence at their game tomorrow for him.
“The hole in everybody’s hearts now that Dean has passed is massive. He will always be remembered and never forgotten and we are so lucky we got 27 amazing years with him.”
Dean leaves behind his mother Karen, dad Clarke, big brothers Martin Dobson, 34, Craig Dobson, 32, and twin sister Holly Robertson, 28.
You can support the family's funeral GoFundMe here.
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