January 27, 2011
by JADE MINGUS / KVUE News
USTIN -- Friends and family will honor the life of a Westlake High School student who died on Christmas.
Funeral services for Ben Breedlove are scheduled for Thursday at 3 p.m. at Gateway Church on McNeil in Northwest Austin.
The 18-year-old's message of faith and awareness of his illness lives on thanks to videos he posted on YouTube. The last video Breedlove posted before his death on Christmas Day has nearly one million views.
Breedlove suffered from a condition called hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. It causes a thickening of the heart, making it harder to pump blood.
Breedlove raised awareness about his condition through his YouTube videos. Now several people have posted tribute videos to Breedlove on YouTube remembering his life.
Friends hope Breedlove's message continues to live on.
"He just wanted to spread the word that even though he had this hardship he could still get through it," said Breedlove's friend Eden Young.
A Facebook tribute page and fund-raising site have been made in Breedlove's honor.
