Appeal launched by parents of Aaron Wells, 21, of Holbury, raises more than £800 towards funeral costs

Aaron Wells, 21, of Roewood Road, Holbury, was found dead in bed the day after he returned home from university to spend Christmas with his family.

His heartbroken parents, Tony and Lorna, have launched a £3,000 fundraising campaign to finance a headstone for Aaron and have so far collected £814.

One of the messages left on the family's GoFundMe says: "Having lost our son just before Christmas we know exactly how you are feeling.

"Learning how to lose someone is so hard so we hope and believe good memories will get you through your darkest hour."

In a recent Facebook post Lorna added: "No-one should ever go through the pain of losing the child. Our life has been shattered. We are broken."

Lorna, 44, will never forget the moment she went into Aaron’s room and realised something was seriously wrong.

Tony rushed to her aid and performed CPR on his son as well as putting him in the recovery position. Paramedics arrived shortly afterwards but were unable to save him.

Aaron, who was studying at Essex University, suffered from epilepsy and may have suffered a fatal fit.

Lorna said: “Aaron was a kind-hearted, happy-go-lucky lad who lived life to the full and never had a bad word to say about anyone. He brought so much joy to people’s lives."

Tony, 55, was diagnosed with cancer last year and saw his weight plummet from 16 stone to eight.

Aaron temporarily abandoned his studies and went home for six months to help care for Tony, washing and dressing him whenever Lorna was not well enough to perform the tasks herself.

The GoFundMe page says 2019 was one of the worst years of their lives.

It adds: "Aaron came home from university to help look after his dad. Aaron was with us all through the treatment. He watched his dad suffer every single day but always kept his dad's spirits up.

"Unfortunately my husband is only in semi-remission, which has made us all upset, but Aaron kept us going.

"Not a day goes past when we don't miss him and love him. He brought so much joy to everyone's life."

To donate go online and visit gf.me/v/c/gfm/aaron-wells.