My healthy funny boy, 3, died hours after suddenly becoming breathless and pale – we still have no answers

THE heartbroken parents of a “beautiful and funny” boy, who died hours after suddenly falling ill, have told of their devastating wait for answers.

An inquest into the death of Woody Heron, 3, heard that he became “acutely unwell” at home in Broadstairs, Kent, in March and died in hospital later that day – just 12 days before his fourth birthday.

Coroner Daniel Cooper told how the youngster’s grandmother, a midwife, came round with medical equipment and checked his oxygen levels before he was taken to A&E at the Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother Hospital in Margate.

But Woody became very pale and lost all his colour on the way there, and his condition rapidly deteriorated despite attempts to resuscitate him.

The coroner said: “His condition declined, and he died in hospital the same day as his admission.”

The cause of death is currently given as sudden unexpected death (SUDC) in childhood, the inquest at Oakwood House, Maidstone heard.

SUDC is a rare category of death in children over the age of one, in which the cause remains unknown even after thorough investigation.

Approximately 40 children in the UK are affected by SUDC each year, and according to SUDC UK, no-one can predict or prevent these deaths, neither parents nor medical professionals, at this time.

Office for National Statistics data from 2020 and 2021 shows SUDC is the fourth leading category of death in one to four-year-olds in England and Wales.

While roughly 12,000 scientific studies have been published into SIDS – sudden and unexplained infant death syndrome – only 50 have been published for SUDC.

Speaking after an inquest was opened into his son’s death, Woody’s dad Richie said: “I wouldn’t wish this grief on anyone. As a parent, you should never have to go through this.”

Richie, a musician, and mum Jazmin Botterill, an artist, say they “live every day in his honour, in hope that we will meet again on the other side”.

They are now facing “all the firsts” that are to come, such as their first Christmas, birthday and family holiday without their little boy.

Mr Heron also reflected on everything he had planned to enjoy with Woody as a father and son.

“Teaching him to ride a bike, fix a car, play an instrument, help him through relationships. All things that now have no place,” he said.

Meanwhile, their seven-year-old daughter, Evelyn, has been their “guiding light through all of this”.

“Without her, I think we would be completely lost,” he added.

Following Woody’s tragic death, a fundraiser for his funeral costs was set up by Lia Gibbs, landlady of the Red Lion, the family’s local pub.

He was described as a “beautiful and funny little boy” who was the light of his parents’ lives, alongside his older sister.

“As you can imagine, this is every parent’s worst nightmare, and unfortunately, at the moment, they are living this nightmare,” added Lia.

A full inquest into Woody’s death will be held on September 23.