A man who was left severely brain damaged by a childhood tumour but went on to blaze a trail for people with disabilities has died on his 40th birthday.
Steven Sim spent a year in a coma after surviving major surgery at the age of eight and endured decades of illness and disability with humility and good humour.
The music lover was the first severely disabled pupil to attend Banff Academy and the modifications made to the 1960s building to accommodate his wheelchair – along with his determination to succeed – allowed others to follow in his path.
He went on to study accountancy at college and delighted in meeting his musical idols, including Cliff Richard and Daniel O’Donnell, before cancer and epilepsy took their toll in recent years.
Last night, his father Ronald Sim, who was at his son’s beside when he died at home, said: “If I was as disabled as he was I’d be bitter and angry.
“He wasn’t – he had an ability to charm people.”
The retired dentist said his son’s brain tumour diagnosis at the age of eight had knocked the family for six, but the youngster had amazed medics with his fightback.
“He was admitted to Aberdeen Royal Infirmary (ARI) and had brain surgery,” said Mr Sim.
“He was in theatre for 13 hours and although they successfully removed the tumour, a lot of brain damage was caused.”
Doctors told Mr Sim and his wife Anne that their son was in a persistent vegetative state, and was unlikely to survive.
He spent 12 months in a coma before finally returning home.
Initially he and younger brother Stuart attended Ordiquhill School near the Sims’ Cornhill home but the move to secondary school threw up new challenges for Steven.
At that time the Warnock Report into integrating disabled children into mainstream education was taking effect and local authorities were under obligation to convert them to make them accessible.
Mr Sim, 70, said: “Steven went to Banff Academy and left with three highers – maths, French and Latin as well as a couple of O levels.
“He surprised everybody but a lot of education people were watching how he got on to see if the Warnock Report was working. Other severely disabled students were later admitted because of Steven.”
Higher education beckoned and, after negotiating funding from the government, Steven secured a place at Motherwell College.
However, tragedy stuck again when he suffered a major epileptic seizure on his first day of college and the Sims had no choice but to bring him home to stabilise his condition, a process that took almost 12 months.
But battler Steven reapplied, this time to Moray College in Elgin, and went on to graduate with an HNC in accounting.
Eight years ago the family was struck by further heartache when Mrs Sim – who provided round-the-clock care for her son – died as a result of a brain tumour in the same ARI ward where Steven had been treated.
His great love was live music and the family built whole holidays around going to concerts.
Steven’s den at the home he shared with his father is decorated with signed photographs taken with singers Daniel O’Donnell, Dominic Kirwan and Cliff Richard.
Bookings to see The Jersey Boys and Strictly Come Dancing’s Brendan Cole at the Music Hall in Aberdeen this month are still marked on the kitchen calendar.
In recent years, Steven’s health had been in gradual decline.
He was diagnosed with testicular cancer and had surgery but was so weak doctors feared chemotherapy treatment would kill him.
Increasingly, epileptic seizures also brought on respiratory arrest and he was regularly admitted to hospital.
Despite a lifetime spent confounding doctors’ expectations, he announced in November that he did not want his care to continue.
He spent Christmas at home with his family and his condition deteriorated steadily until he died on Monday, 40 years to the day since he was born.
A plaque on his beside tables reads: “Be reasonable – do it my way.”
With a smile his father said simply: “That sums Steven up.”
A funeral ceremony will be held at Moray Crematorium on Tuesday and Mr Sim has asked for donations to be made to Brain Tumour Charity in lieu of flowers.