We had to let our brave baby die - Cumbria family

Last updated 16:07, Tuesday, 07 October 2008

A BRAVE Cumbrian baby who amazed doctors with his determination to survive against all the odds has lost his battle at the age of one.

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Loving family: Theo with his mum and dad, Rebecca and Ryan

Theo Davies, of Keswick, was born with Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome – a condition that meant only one side of his heart was growing.

Back in July he was given just two weeks to live unless a new heart could be found. Determined to give him every possible chance of life, parents Rebecca Giles and Ryan Davies launched an emotional plea for a donor.

But even without the transplant he refused to give up and, having already endured several major operations in his short life, little Theo stunned everyone when he started breathing independently.

He was allowed home for a few weeks but in mid-August fell ill again and was rushed back to the Freeman Hospital in Newcastle, where he had been receiving treatment.

For the past six weeks he had been battling a severe infection, which eventually reached his vital organs.

It was then that his brave parents, both 22-years-old, were told that it would gradually affect the rest of his tiny body and the odds of survival were incredibly slim, even with Theo’s will to live.

On Friday last week they were forced to make a choice – to let him battle on for another few days or to switch off his ventilator and let the exhausted youngster rest in peace.

Mum Rebecca said that it was the hardest decision any parent could have to make, but on the advice of doctors, they decided it wasn’t fair on Theo to keep him alive when there was virtually no chance of survival.

She and Ryan were with him for his final moments, holding him as doctors turned off the ventilator and stopped administering vital drugs.
Heartbroken Rebecca said everyone was in tears, including the nurses and doctors who had grown so close to him during his long hospital stay.

But today she paid her own tribute to little Theo, thanking him for the lifetime of happiness he has given her during his own short life.
She said that although she always knew she would lose him one day, she was so proud of the way that he had fought on for so long to stay with her and Ryan.