An heroic NHS worker praised for having a "heart of gold" has died months before he was to wed his partner of 10 years.
David Yuill grafted on the front lines throughout lockdown as a COVID vaccinator in Lanarkshire's Alistair McCoist Complex and Fernhill Community Centre.
He previously cared for the elderly at the Royal Infirmary and devoted himself to charity including local food banks, the Red Cross and Pride Glasgow.
But he tragically died in hospital on January 19 after contracting an infection due to his cystic fibrosis, with his devastated family and fiancé Scott at his side.
His health worsened over Christmas after taking sick leave from work due to a chest infection. He reluctantly answered his mum's pleas to go to hospital on January 17 and passed away just two days later.
His mum Catherine Yuill, a director for a baby bank, told Lanarkshire Live of the "gut-wrenching" moment she was told her son was receiving end-of-life care and would not make it.
David with his partner Scott, who he met 10 years ago
She told us: "It was so quick and unexpected. We all just crumbled.
"I never thought for a moment he wouldn't come home. I just asked the doctors, 'where is he?'
"I still didn't think it would happen and I was clinging on to that little bit of hope that he would fight back. But he was too weak in the end.
"Walking out with his empty wheelchair, his clothes in a bag. It felt wrong. We kept saying 'I can't believe this is happening'.
"His partner Scott is devastated. We just cried in each other's arms."
David also leaves behind his 15-year-old brother Callum, who is struggling to come to term with his death.
The pair were very close, with David and Scott taking the teenager to Florida as a surprise for his 11th birthday.
David and partner Scott took little brother Callum to Florida as a birthday surprise
"They were like chalk and cheese, but they loved each other," Catherine said. "They would argue and slag each other off, and gang up on me, but it was a laugh most of the time.
"Callum is lost without David. He was a dad and a brother to him."
The Springburn health worker was diagnosed with Cystic Fibrosis days before his 15th birthday after experiencing chills, losing weight and suffering breathing problems.
The disorder causes severe damage to the lungs, digestive system and other organs in the body and affects more than 10,000 people across the UK.
But courageous David devoted himself to helping others in spite of his condition.
David worked in the NHS
He spent years working as an accessibility worker at Pride Glasgow helping LGBTQ people with disabilities, was an emergency responder at the Red Cross and volunteered with the Scottish Ambulance Service.
His health improved with the help of a breakthrough drug Trikafta and he threw himself into work on the COVID frontlines, becoming a vaccinator at the Fernhill Community Centre and the Alistair McCoist Complex.
Colleagues from the Red Cross formed a Guard of Honour at David's funeral as hundreds attended to pay their respects.
Catherine said: "He was in and out of hospital a lot, so he wanted to give back and help others like him. He would do anything for anyone. I don't know how he did it at times. I was terrified about him being so close to COVID, but he wasn't scared.
"He could talk to anyone, of any age and made everyone feel valued and welcome. He would sit and gab away with elderly patients who didn't have visitors. He always made the time. He had a heart of gold."
David also had a cheeky side, pulling pranks on his family and bringing some much-needed cheer to his work.
"He was mischievous – an absolute joker. He was once lifted me into in a fridge freezer in Farmfoods while I was looking for chicken and put the lid down on me. He loved bamming you up.
"Above all, he was a people person. He did so much with the life he had and he wasted no time in doing it. We don't know what we will do without him."
NHS Lanarkshire also paid tribute to David, who "always went above and beyond to help others."
Claire Denning, service manager for the COVID vaccination service said: “David was very highly thought of among colleagues and would make everyone feel welcome, whether they were service users or new members of staff.
"He was very caring and would always go above and beyond his role to make people feel valued.
“Despite being in the clinically extremely vulnerable group, David chose to continue working and also volunteered with the Scottish Ambulance Service.
“He was a much-loved colleague and he will be greatly missed.”
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