Hi, my name is Ruth and I am a close friend of Jay’s family. I have known Jay since he was born.

He was born with Prader Willi Syndrome and profound deafness. The family have had their fair share of struggles over the years ensuring Jay had proper access to education, support and healthcare. He later was diagnosed with autism although the family suspected from an early age.

This was not easy as his parents are both profoundly deaf and sometimes had to discuss Jay’s health, support etc without proper communication support - in their case British Sign Language interpreters.

Prader-Willi syndrome (PWS) is a rare, complex genetic disorder that affects both males and females from birth and throughout their lives. It causes low muscle tone with consequent motor developmental delays, a mild to moderate learning difficulty, incomplete sexual development, and emotional and social immaturity, which can lead to challenging behaviours. During childhood, an overwhelming and insatiable chronic appetite usually develops which, without rigorous food management and exercise regimes, leads to food seeking, stealing and life threatening obesity. PWS occurs randomly in about 1:22,000 births and it is estimated that there are about 2,000 living with PWS in the UK. (From PWSA website - https://www.pwsa.co.uk/what-is-pws)

Jay grew up to be a lovable but a cheeky man! He had his struggles with a lot of things including getting people to understand his needs, healthcare and weight management. Despite this he grew into a lovely man so loved by his family, friends and the wider community.

He passed away suddenly in his sleep at home on Friday 20 June 2025 aged just 22 years old. This has left his family and friends utterly devastated.

As this was sudden and totally unexpected, costs towards funeral and associated expenses are leaving the family struggling especially as they would love to give him a good send off so we would very much appreciate if you could help out, no matter how little or great you can donate. We know cost of living is affecting a lot of people so don’t worry if you cannot afford anything at this present time.

The money will cover the costly funeral expenses like the coffin, funeral service, cars, funeral directors admin costs as well as a few extras the family would love to have to give Jay a good send off.

Any excess monies the family will decide whether to put it towards a memorial of Jay or something else worthy.

Thank you

Ruth