Tragic last words of schoolboy, 12, who collapsed after developing cough
Tomas Remeikis, 12, died suddenly after telling his parents he had a cough - a loss that has left his family stunned and devastated as the youngster lived a seemingly healthy life for years
The tragic last words of a young boy who told his parents he had a cough before he "died out of nowhere" have left a family reeling in heartbreak.
Twelve-year-old Tomas Remeikis, from Southport, died suddenly after telling his parents he 'just had a cough' - a loss that has left his family stunned and devastated. The youngster had been diagnosed with pulmonary hypertension as a young child after doctors discovered a hole in his heart. The condition, according to the NHS, is serious and can lead to dangerously high blood pressure in the lungs, placing strain on the right side of the heart.
Despite the diagnosis, Tomas lived a seemingly healthy life for years, regularly attending medical check-ups and showing no major signs of decline. Tomas will be deeply missed by his mum Inesa, dad Andrius, and younger brother Lukas, who are now grieving the loss of a bright, brave boy taken far too soon.
"He was great. He was very kind and friendly," Tomas' dad, Andrius, 35, told the Liverpool Echo. "He always had friends. Tomas was born in Manchester. Two years ago we moved into Southport, a little dream of ours. We used to come here often and when we finally moved we were really happy.
"Tomas made friends quickly at school and his Taekwondo classes. Everyone knew him as a very kind, friendly and polite person." As a young child, Tomas often experienced shortness of breath and tiredness, two symptoms of pulmonary hypertension. Andrius said: "He was just ill all the time but we thought it was chest infections.
"Then his mum went to see her parents when he was about two and a half, three years old, and he was walking with his granddad on a little scooter. Tomas used to stop to catch breath and his granddad became a bit suspicious. He said, he shouldn't be so tired."
Tomas was found to have a hole in his heart after being assessed by a family doctor in Lithuania - who told the family he required emergency surgery. The procedure was successful, and Tomas still had to take medication every day and received regular check-ups at Great Ormond Street Hospital in London. Despite this, he appeared to be fine.
Andrius said: "He was doing really well. He was going Taekwondo twice a week. He was cycling to school every day. We always asked him, how are you feeling? How's your lung? Do you feel any pain? How's your heart? He always said, yeah, I'm okay. He had a couple of like fainting episodes, but that was due to the Taekwondo training. It was high intensity, a lot of jumping and pushups. This was all noted.
Around a week before his death, Tomas began feeling poorly with a cough and a temperature, but soon felt better. He went back to school, cycled with his mum to watch his brother play football - and was looking forward to joining his dad at a car boot sale on the weekend.
But by the Monday Bank Holiday, the youngster had fallen ill again. Andrius said: "I had just made breakfast and he wasn't feeling well. I asked the same questions about his lungs and heart but he just had a cough. He said, I'll go rest in bed for a bit. In the afternoon he got up again and I made him some tea. I asked how he was feeling and he said, maybe a bit better.
"Then it just all happened all of a sudden. I was with my wife and we decided to go to the hospital. She started getting his trousers out and then she shouted at me, saying, his lips are getting blue. He shouted, 'mum, help' and we called the ambulance. Then he lost consciousness."
The ambulance arrived promptly and Tomas was taken to hospital, but the exact time and reason for his death remain unclear to the family. According to those who conducted the post-mortem, it appears his heart may have failed - though the official cause of death will be determined by an inquest. Andrius said: "Earlier this year, we went to London again to get all the full tests done and they were quite happy with how well he was doing. It's just came out of nowhere."
Tomas's funeral was held at Holy Family Church on Brompton Road and was attended by his friends from both schools he went to, Takewondo and kids he had met online while playing PlayStation. Andrius said: "The word even got out to his ex-teachers in Manchester. A friend he'd met gaming was from Ireland and he flew over with his dad. I thought, what a cool dad, to bring his son to say goodbye to his mate."
The family has asked for donations to the Pulmonary Hypertension Association, who supported Tomas throughout his life. They have given their permission for his heart to be donated to the organisation for medical research. Andrius said: "Tomas was kind, friendly, loving and outgoing. He really got along with everyone that he came in contact with. Anyone who spent time with him loved him."
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