A 15-year-old Bradford boy who endured 37 operations after he was diagnosed with a brain tumour told his parents he wanted to go home to die.

Brave Andrew Peirson couldn't cope after he was put on a ventilator to help his worsening respiratory problems and begged his parents, Terry and Ian, to take him home.

The youngster, who was nominated in the Telegraph & Argus's Children of Hope campaign in 1993, would have had to live permanently on the ventilator.

Andrew lost his courageous 13 year fight against the disease this week at home. He was diagnosed with the brain tumour when he was just 14 months old.

His condition deteriorated in April when he developed respiratory problems caused by damage to his brain stem.

Andrew's grieving mum, Terry, 41, said he had realised the consequences of going home would be fatal but added: "He hated being on the ventilator and just couldn't deal with it.

"It would have been permanent and he just felt so restricted - he loved football, cricket, playing on the computer and going to watch his brothers play and didn't see being stuck on the ventilator as any sort of life.

"He couldn't speak while he was on it but we rigged up an alphabet and he pointed at the letters to tell us what he wanted us to do.

"We gave him three or four options, including staying in hospital or going to a hospice, but he said he wanted to come home.

"So we came home and he was here for a week before he died.

"He was fully aware of the consequences but knew he'd had enough messing about in hospital and just wanted to come home to die.

"I think what he decided was extremely brave and mature - I think he realised whatever he went through it wouldn't do any good.

"After all it was his quality of life and if it wasn't what he wanted it wouldn't have been fair to keep him alive for us.''

Paying tribute to the way her son battled against his illness Mrs Peirson said: "He was always extremely brave but because the tumour was on his brain stem they couldn't get all of it.

"He's always been very up front about things and excepted it but if anyone wanted to do something he had to know exactly what was happening and wanted to be in control as much as he could.

"Through everything he always had such a brilliant sense of humour - he loved wrestling and when we were bringing him home I was hard pressed to find a T-shirt that didn't have The Undertaker on it which he thought was really funny.''

She said Andrew was a keen football fan and had been looking forward to watching the World Cup.

She added: "Andrew desperately wanted to watch the World Cup but decided he couldn't wait on the ventilator.

"He even discussed England's chances with his dad while he was on it and had decided we'd come fourth.

"He'd written a chart on the computer at home and was going to record all the results so we'll be filling that in for him now.''

Andrew was in a wheelchair and received home tuition for the last couple of years. He had attended Crossley Hall First, Fairweather Green Middle and Lister Lane special schools in Bradford.

Andrew died peacefully at home on Tuesday, and leaves his parents, 14-year-old twin brothers Ben and Thomas, and grandparents Nellie, Edwin and Ken.

A funeral service is due to be held at Nab Wood Crematorium at 2pm on Monday. Family flowers only are requested with anyone wanting to make a donation in his memory asked to give a contribution to Candlelighters - the St James' Hospital-based charity which helped provide him with holidays - or the Malcolm Sargent Cancer Fund for children, c/o Albert Pratt, 146 Main Street, Wilsden.

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.