When Lucuis Corry entered a room, the atmosphere changed - his bubbly personality and infectious smile would have brightened the darkest of days.
The five-year-old, who had Down Syndrome, gave love to anyone who crossed his path, but had a soft spot for his loving family. Lucuis, from the Market area of South Belfast, died suddenly on August 22 2022 after suffering a cardiac arrest.
Speaking to Belfast Live, Lucuis' parents Joanne and John opened up about the pain they feel each day, and determination the family has to get answers surrounding their baby boy's death.
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"We had tried for so long to get pregnant, but after ten years we gave up," Joanne said.
"We didn't think it would ever happen. Then we found out we were going to be grandparents the same week we found out about our own baby. It was so exciting and we were buzzing.
"At first, John thought I was joking, that it was a wind up. When Lucuis was born, it was hard because the doctors didn't tell us he had Down Syndrome, we had to tell them that we suspected it.
"It was hard, as if you had lost something but you had your baby. You had so many expectations. But we learned to live with Down Syndrome, and it made Lucuis that wee bit more special. It made him a better person, and to be honest, it made us better people too.
"He grew up into such a wee character. Lucuis didn't sleep too much, and would be up throughout the night. He loved watching his tablet and would hop up onto the sofa, watch Mr Tumble and chill out with a packet of Buttons.
"When he started school, he was so excited. He would have told us he wasn't going to school, that he wanted to go to Funky Monkeys instead, but as soon as he heard that bus pull up outside, he was running out the door.
"Lucuis was obsessed with Dairy Milk Buttons, and had them anywhere we went. One year we went on holidays and there were more Buttons in the suitcase than clothes. We actually ran out of them, and searched everywhere.
"He wasn't a happy boy. So we put on a page online to ask if anyone was coming out, and if they could help us. A guy from England reached out, and he brought multi-packs. Lucuis was buzzing."
John said when people met Lucuis, he left an imprint on them with his charm and character.
"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."
Going back to the weekend which catapulted the family into darkness, Joanne and John explained that Lucuis woke up on the Saturday morning out of character.
He was going to Funtasia with the Market Development Association, but Lucuis was complaining of a sore tummy. He insisted on going on the bus.
"He was a bit off colour and when we got there he was ok," they added.
"He played a wee bit for about ten 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.
"I phoned the out of hours at around 6:15pm and I was phoned back after 10pm. I was told to just keep doing what I was doing, but all night he wasn't settling. He was on the floor, on the bed, he had a sleeping bag out for his daddy to sleep with him.
"We thought he was having a wee carry on and wanted a camp out. At around 3 in the morning we took him on a drive to see if he would sleep. He was throwing his blanket away and saying 'no'. He was on the bed and pointed to his groin and said 'ouch'. I went in to get my shoes on, to take him to hospital, and when I came back in he had blood coming from his nose.
"He didn't bang his nose or anything. We brought him downstairs and his lips started to turn blue. John lifted him and he was responsive then. I drove out on two wheels, going through red lights while on the phone to the ambulance.
"I wasn't pulling in and got to the Grosvenor Road and onto the Westlink. By the time we got to the Balls on the Falls, John said 'come on son we are going to Funky Monkeys' and Lucuis said 'yes daddy' and took his last breath.
"When we got to the Royal, he was unresponsive. I was beeping the horn and the doctor came straight out and was working on him for about 45 minutes. The consultant said they were doing everything they could, he went back in again to try again. But 15 minutes later, there was nothing.
"They did blood tests and said he had two infections, but that they wouldn't have caused him to suffer a cardiac arrest. At that stage, that is all we knew."
The family say a coroner's report showed that Lucuis suffered a cardiac arrest, but they want to push for answers behind what caused their little boy to go through the ordeal.
They are now going for an inquest into Lucuis' death, so that they can have closure.
"We want to get answers that we need," Joanne added.
"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. The hospital was amazing with Lucuis, they done amazing.
"I just want to know why we couldn't have brought him to out of hours. We phoned them at 6pm on the Saturday, and we waited four hours for a call back. Lucuis died at 5am on Sunday morning.
"The inquest will cost thousands with the fees, so we are fundraising for that because it is a lot. We don't have a stand alone figure, but we are going to try our best to raise it.
"People have been amazing. We have been overwhelmed by the support. The Market people are the best, honestly, they are always here for you.
"Our neighbours have been amazing. Lucuis is spoken about every day, and we have such precious memories of him, singing and dancing.
"He was always a daddy's boy and loved his holidays. When he saw the suitcases coming, he was away to get his swimming gear and that was him ready. He was just a wee charmer, a great wee child."
Please follow this link to donate to the Corry family fundraiser in memory of Lucuis.
Video by Belfast Live videographer Harry Bateman.
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