Andrew John Carter

Died February 13th 2000 Aged 27

Britain's 53rd victim of new variant CJD

Andrew John Carter died at his home in Cross Roads, only five months after doctors at Airedale hospital told his parents it was "clinically provable" that he had the new variant strain of the incurable Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (nvCJD).

The funeral of Andrew Carter, the young Cross Roads man thought to be the latest victim of CJD, took place at St Michael's Church, Haworth.

The day before the funeral, Andrew's father, Ron, talked about how overwhelmed he and his family have been at the amount of public sympathy they have received.

He says that since Andrew's death was featured in the local papers, many of his friends and acquaintances have contacted the family.

Cards and flowers filled the Carters' Cross Roads home, coming from people including former teachers, people who Andrew had delivered mail to as a postman, and nurses and carers at Airedale hospital.

Mr Carter says: "It's been a hard week, a really hard week of seeing people all the time and re-living things."

The funeral was intended to be more of a celebration of Andrew's life rather than a traditional, formal occasion, and this was reflected in the family's choice of music for the service.

Prior to the service the organist played Simon and Garfunkel's Bridge Over Troubled Waters and Bette Midler's Wind Beneath My Wings. Always On My Mind by the Pet Shop Boys was heard during the service, which finished with the uplifting Top Gun theme.

"That was the image that we wanted. We don't want it any more sombre than it has to be. We are looking at it as a celebration of his life," said Mr Carter.

The Rev Paul Slater, of St Michael's Church, Haworth, who conducted the service, said that around 200 people attended the service, including people from the Bridge pub, where he had worked, people from Leeds College of Technology, where Andrew studied his access course, and friends and family.

Please note that the information provided above was taken from various stories carried by the Keighley News and Telegraph & Argus newspapers.

This dedication is given purely as a mark of respect for Andrew and is in no way meant to be taken as authorised/official site.