With sadness, we learned of the passing of 26-year old Daniel Harris of the United Kingdom, who died in early October 2019 from complications of Familial Dysautonomia. To honor Daniel’s life, we are sharing portions of his Mum’s eulogy, with her blessing. Our hearts are with Daniel’s family, parents Sue and Stuart, and sister, Jessica. On behalf of the FD community, we walk beside you. Please read more about Daniel through Mum’s heartfelt words:
Whilst this isn’t a joyous occasion, it is certainly necessary, to celebrate his life and lift up the person that was Daniel. Daniel had many obstacles and while he could not overcome those physical obstacles, it never prevented him from having a cheerful, positive attitude to life. He touched every heart he came into contact with. His compassion, empathy, wit and his contagious laughter, nobody can ever forget.
We will always remember those times when he was not in the best of health but he never allowed it to detract from the love he had for others. We all realized Daniels fight was unwinnable, but to have him taken so unexpectedly is truly a shock. We have anger, questioning, grief but those are all things that accompany the death of a loved one but this is Daniel, who knew no guile, no envy or anger. He would appreciate our grieving and he knew that life was something to be cherished, he wouldn’t want anyone to be lost in their grief. He was happy, he enjoyed being happy and there is nothing more in this world that he would want than for everyone here to be happy.
Daniel was a creative young man when it came to technology and was what I would call a “’closet fraudster,” applying for a loan online and actually getting it approved. It was only when Yes Loans called to see where he wanted the £25,000 quid deposited that we realized his illness wasn’t our only worry! Sponsoring 44 dogs online was another trick, using my debit card tucked under his sleeve. Suffice to say, I started taking my purse up to bed with me or he could have easily bankrupted us.
Rest easy Daniel, you have touched more hearts than you could ever know and will always be loved more than you could ever imagine. “TO INFINITY AND BEYOND!!”
Daniel will be with us always.
Familial Dysautonomia NOW Foundation
Board, Advisors and Regional Representatives
