A heartbroken Dumfries mum whose baby died of meningitis should have been waving him off on his first day of school this week.
Hayley Brock said she felt “drained” seeing the pictures of children born the same year as little Koa in their uniforms.
Hayley and husband Barry were devastated when Koa died in April 2018 aged just eight months.
But the couple were thinking of their “precious boy” who should have been starting P1 at North West Community Campus on Monday.
Hayley, 32, said: “It’s painful seeing all the photos of the wee ones starting school when Koa should have been.
“I wonder what he would have looked like in his wee uniform.”
Since Koa died, Hayley and Barry, 42, have continued to raise awareness of the disease that claimed his life.
In a bid to help him cope with his loss, Rangers fan Barry set up Koa’s Dream Foundation, a scheme aimed at getting less fortunate fans to football games on match days.
Hayley’s reason to keep going was the “rainbow baby” Lily they had two years after Koa died.
She said: “I was born with congenital heart disease and didn’t think I’d be able to have any children.
“When I fell pregnant with Koa at 27, he was my fresh start after losing my mum when I was 15 and my dad at 23 just six months after I had open heart surgery.
“Then I lost Koa when he was just eight months. I was only able to carry on living because of the support I had from Barry, my brother Graham, auntie Helen and friend Sharon.
“I wanted another baby and when I fell pregnant with Lily, I had to postpone taking my heart medication to make sure she was okay.
“She’s two now and has given me a reason to get out of bed in the mornings. She’s my life.”
Hayley and Barry were distraught when Koa died after suddenly becoming ill.
She said: “We’d just come back from holiday and when Koa’s breathing didn’t seem to be right, I thought it was his heart and went in to panic mode.
“I phoned the doctor who told me to get him to hospital straight away.
“When we got there, they did blood tests and when we were told it was meningitis, I honestly felt relieved and thought he was going to be okay because he didn’t have a rash. I was later told a rash would be the last thing to appear.”
Koa was then transferred to Glasgow’s Queen Elizabeth Hospital for surgery to release pressure on his brain.
But within hours, Hayley and Barry were told their baby was brain dead and had no chance of survival.
Hayley said: “I wanted to be able to donate Koa’s organs.
“Because of my illness, I thought about what would happen if I was in a position where I needed a new heart.
“I felt like I couldn’t take and not give something
back.
“In the end, Koa wasn’t a match for anybody.”
Despite their grief, Hayley and Barry have had some joy in their lives.
She said: “We had Lily, we’ve got Barry’s older daughter Leona and we got married in May this year. We just wish we had Koa here.
“Through his death, we’ve raised awareness of meningitis because we don’t want other parents to go through what we have.
“Koa may have died at eight months, but he had a personality; he was so chilled and laid back.
“Every day, we keep his memory alive.”
