Tributes have been paid following the death of a young man ‘who made people smile and laugh wherever he went’.
Sam Hindley, 29, died suddenly on Saturday, October 29, of kidney failure at his mum Jayne Hanson’s house on Pinewood Drive in Accrington.
He was just weeks from turning 30.
Born with a genetic disorder called Donnai-Barrow Syndrome which affects many parts of the body, Sam was profoundly deaf, registered blind and had learning difficulties but never let his disabilities stand in his way.
He had been diagnosed with a life-limiting illness in 2012, but had been very active up until just a few weeks ago.
Jayne, 56, said: “He was inspirational - he fought against the odds all his life but achieved loads. People said I was wonderful with him but it was the other way round, he changed me as a person.”
The community nurse and former manager of Accrington nightclub Shifters, added: “We never needed to tailor our lives for Sam, he tried to do everything.
“We took him camping all over Europe, rock climbing and swimming in lakes in the Pyrenees. He needed 24-hour support but never let it hold him back - I think it was because of his disabilities he pushed himself to be so active.”
Sam, who lived with friends on Loweswater Close in Accrington, attended Holly House Development Centre in Rishton where he made some lifelong friends, before going on to the Royal School and College for the Deaf in Cheadle, where he met the Queen at an open day and also patron Princess Anne.
He worked at Prosperity Recycling in Accrington and at Fresh Fields in Burnley, making garden planters and bird boxes, and also attended the Park View Resource Centre, in Clayton-le-Moors, and the Dash leisure club at the New Era Youth Club in Accrington.
Jayne, who is married to Sam’s stepdad David with whom he was very close, said: “He was so loving and clever with a great sense of humour. He loved sport, socialising and had loads of friends.” Sam, who also has a sister Atlanta, 21, holidayed all over Britain with charity Sense, which supports deaf and blind people.
Jayne said: “He loved the outdoors and was so outgoing. He went on TV’s Children in Need and met the Queen, Princess Anne and the Countess of Wessex. He would have been 30 on November 20 and we had a big party planned. I don’t know what my life will be like now - I’m just bereft.”
Sam’s dad John Hindley, 57, a care home manager, said: “Sam was such a happy boy who made people smile and laugh wherever he went. His death just leaves a massive void that will never be filled.”
Sam’s funeral will be held on Wednesday, November 9 at 3pm at Accrington Crematorium.
Family flowers only please.
Donations requested to Friends of Park View Resource Centre, Rishton Road, Clayton-le-Moors.
The funeral director is Hyndburn Funeral Services, Queens Road, Accrington.
