Andrew had been diabetic type 1 since he was 12. On December 28, 2010, when he was 21, Andrew had a slight cold and then developed sickness and upset stomach.
His Dad spoke to him at 1am that morning and asked if he was okay. Andrew said: "Yes I'm fine, just have an upset stomach."
"At 7am his sister woke us. Andrew had gone to the bathroom and passed out on the landing. We called the ambulance and Andrew was taken to hospital. He was treated for diabetic ketoacidosis but, when the rash appeared on his torso and spread up his body almost as we watched, we knew it was meningitis.
The doctors were in a panic, suddenly realising what was wrong. Andrew passed away an hour later. We blame ourselves for not reacting the evening before; I just don't know why we didn't.
Andrew's funeral saw over 350 guests. The messages from his friends have been incredible. We just didn't realise how popular Andrew was and how he touched the heart of everyone he met.
We have heard so many uplifting stories of Andrew (Roo to his friends) and we feel truly blessed that he was our son. He was a kind, fun loving lad, who drew children to him like the Pied Piper.
We have thrown ourselves into fundraising and have raised over £1,700 for Diabetes UK (a charity Roo was very fond of). We are now doing the same for Meningitis Now.
Andrew's dad, two brothers and sister are all completing fun runs and half marathons for meningitis in Roo's name. If we can raise enough money to find a vaccine then it will all have been worthwhile, Andrew won’t have died in vain."
