“He went through so much in his life but always took it on the chin and every time would just go back to doing the things he loved; football, skateboarding and, later, going down the pub. He was amazing,” says mum Jane Lawrence of son Leon Mejri who sadly passed away last month aged just 23.

Leon defied medical predictions that he was unlikely to live beyond the age of eight and instead embraced life and touched the lives of all those he met.

At 10 weeks Leon was diagnosed with primary pulmonary hyper-tension – a rare lung disorder in which the blood vessels in the lungs narrow and the pressure in the pulmonary artery rises far above normal levels.

He was later also diagnosed with polycythaemia, where excess red blood cells cause the blood to thicken, keeping it from flowing easily, and with Von Hippel-Lindau syndrome, a rare genetic disorder which results in tumours.

Aged just five, Leon suffered three cardiac arrests and then sepsis, at 10 he lost 80% of his central vision and at 12 he had surgery to remove a tumour.

But Leon was determined to live life to the fullest, with passions ranging from Liverpool FC and, locally, supporting the Rams, to simply enjoying chats and a game of pool in pubs including the York Arms and The Crown.

Jane said: “He just kept going. Every time they found something else wrong, he just defied the odds. He was happy, smiley and loved chatting with people. He liked football, Liverpool was his team and he went to Ramsgate games when he could.

“From a tot into his teens he went to Revolutions skatepark and he was quite a sporty lad.

“He went to Callis Grange and then St Anthony’s school and went on to do life skills at Broadstairs College. He was there four years and then they ran out of things for him to do.

“He hit the pub scene and he really liked the social side of that, playing pool and talking to people young and old. He liked hearing all the stories from the old boys in the pub and people would talk to him as he looked so young (due to his medical conditions).

“He loved a joke and liked his sarcasm! He was very charismatic. He could walk in somewhere and not know anyone and it wouldn’t take him long to get to know someone new, but generally wherever he went he knew someone. He knew a lot of people, I never realised just how many.”

Leon was under the care of Hammersmith hospital which specialises in pulmonary hyper-tension.

In the last six to 12 months his health has deteriorated and he spent time in the hospital from September to November last year, needing the assistance of a filter machine as his kidneys failed.

Jane said: “He came home with intravenous medication but he never really went back to his old self.

“In the end it was his choice to be at home. I said he needed to go to hospital but he didn’t want to go back, he just wanted to be at home.”

Leon passed away at home on January 15.

Jane says there has been huge support from her partner and Leon’s siblings, Aidan Mejri and Jessica Lawrence, but also from the community.

She said: “There have been hundreds of comments and messages. Ramsgate also held a minute’s applause last Tuesday before the game. My close friends and my partner have been brilliant and the kids have been really good too.”

Ramsgate FC has paid tribute to Leon with manager Lee Martin sending the family strength and love and adding: “He used to come up to me after the games and ask me a thousand questions. He was a good kid.”

Family friend Kathryn Lewis has set up a fundraising page (see link below) to help the family with funeral costs.

Kat said: “(He was) the most amazing young man that I ever met. He defied all odds! Not only did he continually fight the fight despite his prognosis, he lived as full a life as he possibly could, He touched many people’s lives in so many ways.”

Leon’s funeral will be held on Thursday 19th February at noon at Thanet crematorium.  The family ask that people wear a splash of red if they can.

The wake will be at The Red Arrow Club, Ramsgate.

It is family flowers only but donations can be made through Twyman and Holmes funeral directors in Ramsgate.

To find the fundraiser click here