A heart-breaking father has a message for parents and young gamers after the death of his 24-year-old son, Louis due to deep-vein thrombosis: “Stand up, walk around and please warn your kids.”
Louis O’Neill, who was a soccer coach at Center Parcs in Hertfordshire, a recreational estate for vacationers in England, had no been working since mid-March due to the nationwide lockdown to halt the spread of coronavirus, reported by China Press.
His dad, Stanley Greening, 56, posted on facebook, told friends and family how he lost Louis, last month.
The original post:
My dear friends and acquaintances.
I know most of you already know.
On 3rd June something so awful happened, the worst imaginable thing to happen to such a young man and the worst imaginable thing to happen to a parent. My son, my dear boy, Louis, has gone.
Not from the evil virus but because of it. His young life, barely begun, still trying to find his feet, just torn away. The devastation… after seeing my dear boy go like that, I am in a living hell.
This damn lockdown. After being furloughed he took to his gaming world to escape. Caught up in a virtual world he became less active, so easily done. Hours fly by when absorbed by the screen, I’ve done it countless times myself. But no one, and I mean no one, ever in a million years would have predicted a blood clot. And just like that, it ripped my son away and I died inside along with him.
24 years old. Who is warning youngsters? Who is warning anyone, of any age? No one!! So I am. My son will live on, I shall continue to spread this warning in his name. This terrible thing was preventable had he or we known such risks. It is very rare in such circumstances but speaking to medical professionals I discover there has been a number of cases in youngsters during this lockdown. Like many I associate it with older people and something we are warned about on planes!
As more and more of us are working from home it is likely you are not getting out your chair as much as you need. Stand up, walk around, and please, warn your kids. If I can prevent one loss in my son’s name then that’s one bright light that will shine on LOUIS. So STAND UP, for Louis.
My son’s funeral is tomorrow (24th June). No parent should outlive their child, it’s so very wrong.
Deep Vein Thrombosis is a life-threatening medical condition that occurs when a blood clot forms in a vein located near the center of the body — making it more difficult to pinpoint and access. If left unattended, the clot can prompt debilitating pain and could result in a pulmonary embolism. The often fatal condition is caused by a blood clot breaking loose and making its way to the lungs, thereby blocking the lung artery and reducing oxygen in the blood.