A 'bubbly' Scots schoolboy needs a special coffin after his sudden and unexplained death.
Tributes are pouring in for 'pure soul' Aiden Cross after he died at his home in Cumbernauld on February 18th.
His distraught parents tried to carry out CPR on the 13-year-old, who suffered from spina bifida and hydrocephalus, in a desperate bid to save him before he passed away.
Coroners have so far been unable establish the cause of death leaving his family devastated.
Now friends are raising funds for the 'happy, bubbly and intelligent' boy's special coffin, reports Glasgow Live.
A previous stroke on the left side of Aiden's body means a specially adapted coffin has to be built to fit him.
One of his neighbours has set up a gofundme page in a bid to raise £2,000 to help the family with the cost of the coffin and expensive funeral costs.
Speaking to Glasgow Live, Aiden's dad, Dave, paid tribute to his boy and described him as 'a pure soul'.
He said: “Everybody spoke to him. Everybody knew him. He was such a happy, happy child. Very happy, very bubbly.
“He was always smiling. I don’t think I ever seen him sad. I wish I had a temperament like him.
“He was a highly intelligent boy, a very well spoken boy. For the list of disabilities he had he was very articulate, he would never use slang words. For what he lacked in use of his body, he had his in brain.
“He was obsessed with cars. I’m a qualified mechanic and that boy used to tell me things about cars I didn’t know. He took it up us a more of a hobby or an obsession. A phenomenal brain the boy had.
“He wanted to be a policeman when he was older. I actually called the police about a year ago. They said ‘we’re equal opportunities employers, Aiden could work for us not a problem’.”
An understandably emotional Dave also opened up on the grief he, his wife and Aiden's 16-year-old sister have endured in the past few weeks, worsened by the complications surrounding establishing what happened to the teenager, while trying to organise his coffin and the funeral.
He said: "It was totally unexpected, that’s what makes it even harder.
“It’s a really crap situation. To be perfectly healthy, then to just die.
“It’s horrible. You never think one day you’d have to pick your child’s coffin. I want his last ride to be comfortable”
Aiden was incredibly well-liked by his classmates and teachers at Glencryan School who have similarly been left floored by the shock of the 13-year-old's passing.
Preparations are currently underway for a memorial bench to be installed in the school's garden, where Aiden spent much of his time.
Dave added: “His whole school want to stand outside as the hearse goes by and pay their respects.
"They're also going to be putting a memory bench and a plaque with his name on it, because he loved going out to the wee garden they had. He loved gardening and playing with plants."
Donations have already flooded in for the fundraiser for Aiden, with Airdrie Taxis, who used to take the teenager to and from school, contributing an incredible £300 alone.
To help the family and donate, you can visit the gofundme page here.
