22-05-2025
‘My star child went to sleep and never woke up': NI mum's heart charity fundraiser in memory of son
Nikki Fitzsimons, from Downpatrick, lost her only child Callum to sudden arrhythmic death syndrome (SADS) in April 2022.
He had complained about feeling slightly unwell the previous evening after, experiencing a sore head and lights hurting his eyes following a family walk up Sawel Mountain.
'I gave him Calpol as he had a temperature and lay with him for a bit before I went to bed,' Nikki recalled.
'The next morning my sister, who lives nearby, came over to my house and went straight up to Callum's room to see him. The next thing I remember is hearing her shouting and wailing. I knew something was seriously wrong.'
Realising that Callum was unconscious, the distraught mum immediately began CPR and phoned an ambulance.
Paramedics took over, but within minutes of their arrival, Nikki was told her son could not be resuscitated.
'They just said 'he's gone' and that they had tried everything to save his life,' she said.
'I was in complete shock and devastation, feeling absolutely numb and shaking all over.'
'Callum loved science and learning all about space. I called him my star child'
SADS occurs when someone unexpectedly dies from cardiac arrest, but it's not clear what the cause is.
The rhythm of the heart is controlled by electrical impulses which, if interrupted, can cause it to beat abnormally.
The condition, known as an arrhythmia, which can be hard to confirm in post-mortem examinations, can be dangerous and lead to a heart attack.
SADS affects around 500 people in the UK every year.
Three years after Callum's death, his mum is still struggling to come to terms with how he died.
'Callum was a bright, funny and kind wee boy, very popular with his peers and within the community,' she said.
'He had high-functioning autism and absolutely loved science and learning all about space and teleportation. I called him my star child.'
Nikki has decided to organise a fundraiser for the British Heart Foundation NI (BHFNI) to support continued research on heart conditions to stop other families from having to endure the same pain she has faced.
'We miss Callum as much as ever and are still looking for answers,' she explained.
'The work the BHFNI is doing in raising awareness of sudden cardiac death in the young is so important. This will sadly happen again to other families, but as a family we want to raise money for BHFNI to fund the research that will save lives.'
Nikki is now expecting her second.
'I'm 28 weeks pregnant and I believe that Callum is sending us his little sister,' she said.
'We're so excited, she's due in August and we're going to call her Chance, as it feels like we're being given a second chance to be a family again.'
It would have been Callum's 16th birthday on Thursday and Nikki is planning a family fun day on Saturday.
She will be at Dunleath Playing Fields in Downpatrick from 2pm to raise funds for BHFNI by hosting activities that Callum would have loved.
'For Callum's 16th birthday, we wanted to do something special as it's a milestone birthday,' Nikki explained.
'We have organised lots of fun activities. The dad of Callum's school friend is doing a reptile show. We have a gaming van as Callum was a big fan of VR and gaming. Callum was a Liverpool FC fan, so for one of the prizes we've organised a trip to Liverpool with £500 spending money.
'Lots of the shops in Downpatrick have supported the event, which is fantastic.'
It's hoped the fun day will keep Callum's memory alive and everyone is invited to offer whatever they can 'for this amazing cause'.
News Catch Up - Wednesday 21 May
'Every penny counts towards saving lives,' Nikki said.
Donations can also be made online through a JustGiving page which has been set up.
