Entertainer dies from mystery illness

The past week has been a nightmare for Mitsy*, whose 20-year-old son Andreff 'Akeem' Campbell died on June 10 after battling a mysterious illness.

The grieving mother told THE WEEKEND STAR that she lost a huge part of her heart when her son's heart stopped beating.

"I had Akeem when I was only 16 years old when some persons turn their backs on me. I had him pretty young and that's why I asked God why he gave me him so young and take him back so young from me. Akeem was my first love. He taught me how to love. My son would have done any and everything for me and I would have done the same for him and his brother," she said. Campbell, who hailed from Bog Walk, St Catherine, worked in the entertainment department at Sandals Ocho Rios hotel. Prior to that, his love for dancing propelled him to enter competitions like Dancing Dynamites.

"He began working last October and he would get award almost every month for best performer. He recently got a promotion which naturally would pay him more money and just bring him up the ranks. He was soaring," Mitsy said. She said that on May 29, Campbell called and said he was not hearing properly. She said his speech was also slurred and she initially thought that he was having a mild stroke.

PLATELETS WERE LOW

"He was in Ocho Rios where we don't have any family members so I chartered a car from Linstead to get him from Ochi. He was taken to Linstead Hospital where the doctors said his platelets were extremely low," she said. Campbell was transferred to the Kingston Public Hospital and a blood transfusion improved his condition and his mood.

"A few days later he just broke right back down and when my relatives went to look for him, she said he was going through a state of confusion. He didn't know anyone. He had a sharp headache that just wasn't leaving him. I spent over a $100,000 on tests and all of them came back negative," she said. Mitsy said doctors tried to improve his platelets count and she said they were eventually told that he was suffering from low platelets disorder. The cause of the infection is unknown.

"I didn't eat for a week because I was fasting for my son. Last Friday, I thought about calling him but decided to send him a voice note telling him how much I loved him and God loves him and he should allow him to be the centrepiece of his life. I didn't know that was the last time he was going to hear my voice as he died a few hours after," she said. "I couldn't even cry, I couldn't shed a single tear. I was weak. He was young and full of life and was going places. Mitsy said that despite his age, Campbell was like a father figure to his 14-year-old brother.

"He got pay every Thursday and he would take money to him week. He told me he wanted to buy a house in Ocho Rios so his brother could come and live with him," she added.