County parents hope their tragic boy's spirit will inspire them to support others (From Hereford Times)

County parents hope their tragic boy's spirit will inspire them to support others

9:45am Wednesday 6th March 2013 in News

THE parents of a ‘little warrior’ who was born with half a heart are making sure his death was not in vain.

Theo George Rachel was born on November 2 with hypoplastic left heart syndrome – a condition meaning the left side of the heart does not work.

Theo spent 10-and-a-half weeks in Birmingham Children’s Hospital following a nine-hour operation, but eventually got to spend three weeks at home with his family before he died on February 5.

Now Theo’s parents, Dave and Beverley Rachel, originally from Hereford but now living in Worcester, are raising money that will go to Birmingham Children’s Hospital and the Ronald McDonald House (RMH), which provides rooms for families with children in the hospital to stay in.

Dave, an account manager for BT, posted about Theo’s daily progress on Facebook, which gained support from not only friends and family, but also people he had never met.

He said: “It’s just one of those things that you think will never ever happen to you. But we want to raise this money to make sure Theo’s death was not in vain.

“Theo touched a massive number of people, and I truly believe his fighting spirit has moved and changed a number of people, none more so than me.

“The hospital was absolutely amazing with us, and we would not have been able to cope without the RMH,” he said.

Dave also hopes everyone who has been touched by Theo’s story will consider registering to be an organ donor, as had Theo survived, he would have eventually needed a heart transplant.

Lyn Gummer, a friend of the family who lives in Hereford, said Theo “will stay in my heart forever”.

Jilly French, meanwhile, wrote: “Prayers today for a beautiful little man, who fought so hard to live, sadly lost his battle. A little Warrior’.

So far £2,865.61 has been raised for the children’s hospital via www.justgiving.com/dave-rachel

To keep up to date with fund-raising events visit the Facebook page.