Gosport family wants to raise awareness of heart condition after son, 5, dies
A FAMILY left devastated by the death of their five-year-old son due to a rare heart defect are on a mission to raise awareness.
Josh and Caitlin Lewis from Gosport lost their son Aiden in December last year after he was diagnosed with a congenital heart defect in June, just after his brother Logan was born.
Dad Josh, 26, said: ‘He was the loveliest little boy. The love he had for his little brother was amazing. It has been a really difficult time.’
The defect, a pulmonary vein stenosis, meant Aiden was small for his age and didn’t have a big appetite.
His grandmother Heather said: ‘He was always small and didn’t look his age. Josh and Caitlin took him to the doctors but nothing was ever found.
‘It was amazing that he had reached this age without it being known.’
The youngster had to undergo surgery to relieve the narrowing in the veins in July before he slowly began to deteriorate again in November.
Josh and Caitlin celebrated an early Christmas with their sons before Aiden lost his battle on December 20.
February marks national heart month and the family are sharing their story to raise awareness for other parents.
Josh said: ‘What Aiden had was a very rare defect and we didn't know anything about it and we aren’t expecting other parents too either.
‘But we should have known about it far earlier as he was always very small for his age. It can be picked up through scans.
‘For us it wouldn’t have made a difference but we hope our story will make a difference for other people.’
Heather, who lives in Locks Heath, set up a Go Fund Me for the family to help pay for funeral costs after Josh had to take unpaid leave and Caitlin was still on maternity.
The target was set at £1,000 but the pair's heart breaking story saw the community come together to raise more than £5,700, which was meant the family could also buy a memorial bench.
She added: ‘This has been such a tough time for them, especially with Covid and the lockdowns. Aiden was a wonderful boy and we will miss him very much.’