Boy, 5, who ‘gave kisses to anybody’ dies of cardiac arrest as parents pay tribute to ‘wee character’
THE heartbroken parents of a five-year-old “who gave hugs and kisses to anybody” have paid tribute to their little boy.
Lucius Corry fell ill after a day at a theme park with his family and passed away in hospital following a cardiac arrest hours later.
His mum Joanne and dad John, from Belfast, are still desperate for answers following the sudden tragedy on August 22, 2022.
Joanne told BelfastLive: “He was a bit off colour and when we got to Funtasia he was ok.
“He played a wee bit for about 10 minutes and then got into the pram and said ‘no’, which wasn’t like him because he loved soft play.
“My mummy took him out to try and feed him, but he vomited. He wasn’t himself at all so we came home early.”
Joanne phoned the doctor at around 6.15pm and received a call back about four hours later.
At 3am Lucius began throwing up. As soon as blood starting pouring from his nose and his lips turned blue, she took him to hospital.
“John said, ‘come on son we are going to Funky Monkeys’ and Lucius said, ‘yes daddy’ and took his last breath,” Joanne said.
When they arrived at the Royal Belfast Hospital for Sick Children, Lucius, who had Down’s Syndrome, was unresponsive and could not be resuscitated.
Tests showed he had two infections, and a coroner concluded he suffered a cardiac arrest.
Paying tribute to her son, Joanne said: “He grew up into such a wee character.
“He loved watching his tablet and would hop up onto the sofa, watch Mr Tumble and chill out with a packet of (chocolate) buttons.”
John said when people met Lucius, they never forgot him.
“He just was such a loving and affectionate child,” he added.
“He would have given hugs and kisses to anybody.
“He was always running about wanting to dance with people, and saying hi to everybody he passed.”
While the parents accept how their boy died, they continue to search for an explanation about what more they could have done.
They are now fundraising for an inquest so they can have closure.
Joanne said: “We want to know if he could have been saved. If he was seen earlier, could that have saved him?
“Maybe it wouldn’t have, but we would just like some answers.”