Our boy had tea, went to bed and never woke up (From South Wales Argus)

Our boy had tea, went to bed and never woke up

2:34pm Thursday 9th October 2008

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FOOTBALL-mad Ryan Jones came home last Monday full of tales about a schoolyard kickabout with his friends - but the next morning he was dead.

Heartbroken stepdad John Wheat found the 11-year-old, diagnosed last January with benign epilepsy, unresponsive in bed at his Newport home when he tried to rouse him for school.

Mr Wheat, 41, and Ryan's devastated mum Sarah Shelton, 35, of Howe Circle, Ringland, are now waiting to discover the full details of his sudden death.

But the couple, and Ryan's five brothers and sisters, are taking comfort from scores of messages of support, condolence and tributes pouring into the family home.

"He was full of his football match with his friends on Monday when he came home.

He had his tea, went to bed," said Mr Wheat, a member of Newport's First Responder team which provides back-up for the ambulance service.

He fears Ryan, his stepson though the youngster called him dad, may be the latest victim of SUDEP, or sudden unexpected death in epilepsy, which due to a number of factors claims the lives of around 500 epilepsy patients a year in the UK.

Ryan had suffered four seizures during sleep this year, the last just days before he died, but always came through them.

"He was OK when I checked at one o'clock on Tuesday morning, but when I went to get him up for school he wasn't moving," said Mr Wheat.

"I tried CPR (cardio-pulmonary resuscitation) but it was too late. The ambulance crew were great, they tried too, but he was already dead."

Ryan, a former pupil at Lliswerry primary school, moved to Lliswerry comprehensive last month and had asked about playing football for the school.

"He was football mad. He was born in Birmingham and was a Birmingham City supporter. The funeral will be up there, but there is a memorial service at St Andrew's Church in Lliswerry, on Friday October 17 where his friends and teachers can remember him," said Mr Wheat, who added that Ryan had "settled in nicely" at comprehensive school.

"He thought he was the Big-I-Am, moving up. He was full of it," he said.

"He used to sit in class next to a disabled boy and help tie his shoelaces and tie. We didn't know about that until after he died. and this boy hasn't been in school since."

Mrs Shelton, 35, said Ryan was happy in his own company, with his computer games.

"I'm not going to say he was an angel, because like other kids, he could be a pain. But we're all missing him so much. I've cried so much I can't cry anymore," she said.

"I used to set the table going round by the kids' ages, and now there's a big gap."

Family's thanks for support

MR Wheat said family and friends have given tremendous support and he thanked Newport's First Responder team, the Welsh Ambulance Services NHS Trust, and Lliswerry primary and comprehensive schools. "Ringland Labour Club has been brilliant too. We're struggling to raise the money to pay for the funeral and they've held a couple of fundraising raffles, which we are very grateful for. "You just don't expect to have someone in the family die so young, you don't plan for it." Anyone else who may be able to help can contact Mr Wheat on 07853 198610. Condition often goes in time BENIGN epilepsy is among the most common types of epilepsy in children, usually beginning between the ages of three-10 years, often stopping around puberty (14-18 years). Children who have this type of epilepsy are usually well otherwise. Seizures often occur when the child is asleep or waking, causing problems with speech, and also causing twitching movements or stiffness of the face and limbs, usually on one side of the body. Ryan was not receiving drug treatment for the condition. Drug treatment is not always considered necessary, as it is known that seizures tend to disappear when the child reaches puberty. Many children have only one or two seizures. But many parents and doctors feel reassured by treatment.

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