Friends and family remember brave 25-year-old's battle with sudden onset of the bowel cancer which took his life

A YOUNG computer graduate died just 19 days after being given the shock news that he had bowel cancer – and was buried with his video games controller.

Scott McClymont, 25, sent his friends a mass text message from hospital telling them that he was going to die and also posted an emotional message on an online forum.

And while concerned friends flocked to his hospital bedside, his family said he showed no distress and instead continued cracking jokes.

Scott, from Carrick Knowe, dreamed of becoming a games developer, and was laid to rest last week – with his Xbox games controller alongside him as a final joke.

Today his family told how they had been shocked with the speed at which a condition, generally associated with older people, had taken his life.

His father Jim, a retired BT engineer, said: "He had never had any health problems in his life. That's why it was a complete shock.

"The doctors said that the cancer was advanced and aggressive, two words I will never forget, and it had spread to his lymph glands and liver. The consultant told him he would only live for days or weeks, not months or years. I remember saying to the nurse, 'how can he have cancer at 25?'"

Scott, who gained a first-class degree in computer science from Heriot-Watt University, had been working at WH Smith in Edinburgh Airport, until he became ill in early April. He visited the doctors and the hospital several times during April, but he and his parents had no idea that the illness was so serious.

He was diagnosed with glandular fever, and then became jaundiced, but it was several weeks before doctors at the Edinburgh Royal Infirmary found a tumour in his bowel.

They told his parents that it could have been lying dormant in their son's bowel for up to ten years.

Mr McClymont added: "Despite everything Scott was so brave. He never showed any distress, despite the pain he was in. We would like to have had some more time with him, just a bit more, to pack our bags and take a trip somewhere.

"I was so hoping that he would be able to see my 60th birthday. I think he had been looking forward to making fun of me getting my free bus pass. But we're glad he didn't suffer any longer than he did."

Mother Pat, 57, said that despite being medicated with morphine for severe pain, Scott insisted on having all of his friends visit him in his hospital room.

She said: "He sent a bulk text message telling his friends what was going to happen, and that he didn't have long left.

"His friends came from 9am to 11pm for the next three days, they were queuing up – we hardly got to see him. We didn't realise he was the joker of the pack, but even in the hospital he was making them all laugh."

Scott passed away on 22 May at his home in Carrick Knowe, his parents and brother Ross, 22, with him at the end.

Four of Scott's friends have since been inspired by his brave battle against bowel cancer, and now plan to run the Race for Life to raise money for the Foxfire campaign, which is supported by the Bobby Moore Fund for Cancer Research UK.

More than 150 friends and family turned out to pay their respects to Scott at his funeral last Friday, where his favourite songs – Mr Brightside by The Killers, and Imagine by John Lennon – were played.

As a tribute Pat, Jim and Ross placed his XBox controller in his coffin.

Pat added: "I think it's only right that we left it with him.

"He had a great sense of humour and I think he would have appreciated it. I don't know how he was so brave, going through all that, I can't imagine what was going through his head. We'll never forget how brave, how kind, and how wonderful our son was. He has left a big void in our lives."

Emotional farewell to online community

SCOTT McClymont broke the devastating news of his condition in an emotional online message.

Along with his brother Ross, he was a huge fan of American wrestling, and the brothers hosted a forum on the EWB website. Eleven days before his death he wrote:

"First off, I'm tremendously exhausted and on a lot of painkillers, so hopefully this will make sense, and I wish I could type in more detail, but I don't have the energy just now.

"Basically I was admitted to hospital about two weeks ago with what was thought to be glandular fever, which was then suspected to be some liver inflammation.

"So they were doing tests for these and it turned out I had some abscess on my liver. It wasn't getting any better, so they moved me to another hospital with a liver specialist unit to get to the route of the problem.

"And while doing scans on my liver, they noticed something in my bowel, did more tests on that and it turns out I have highly advanced bowel cancer.

"Because I'm highly jaundiced, they couldn't start chemo on it until that was down. They tried several things to make that happen, but it hasn't. And the only remaining choice was so risky of causing me more pain or even killing me outright, they can't do that either.

"So I'm dying.

"I've been given so much attention because of my age, and the fact this disease is 9,999/10,000 times found in someone a lot older than myself. They don't know how long I have left. But the only good news is I'll be able to come home once they balance my pain medication. I've had so many visitors to see me, all obviously very upset. But I'm trying to remain strong.

"Thank you EWB for always being here and making me feel accepted."