The mum of a teenager left brain damaged after an asthma attack has said she is determined to give him the best life possible.
Two years ago Chloe McCrory returned from a shopping trip to find her 14-year-old son Cole was having difficulty breathing.
Having suffered from severe asthma since he was a child, he took his inhalers in the hopes that the problems would go away but a short time later he was calling for help from his mum saying he was unable to breathe.
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Chloe rang an ambulance for her son after speaking with his doctor and during the trip to the hospital paramedics became very concerned for his welfare and upon arrival he was quickly rushed to resuscitation as Cole had begun having a severe heart attack.
While he was able to be saved by the hardworking medical staff, Chloe was later told Cole's heart had stopped for 15 minutes and he would have to be placed into a coma. His care team said they were unsure what his condition would be like due to the amount of oxygen his brain had lost.
Cole would then spend the next month in a coma in Belfast Children's Hospital with his mum by his side, as she could not bear the thought of leaving him.
Speaking to Belfast Live, Chloe said: "Cole had suffered with bad asthma since he was very young and had been prescribed very strong inhalers in order to manage it but we would still spend a couple of days in hospital every so often when it got bad.
"Despite this, growing up he was always a very sociable boy with a great group of friends and he loved playing games together with them and I would regularly have to tell him to be quiet because they could get so loud.
"We were always extremely close and he was my best friend who would help me about the house and talk to me about everything.
"I never could have imagined how quickly all of this was taken away from us after that nightmare of a day.
"When he started to have problems with his breathing he starting taking extra puffs of his inhalers but his condition wouldn't get any better.
"The out-of-hours GP advised us to ring an ambulance urgently and once inside it the paramedics got very worried about his condition and blue-lighted us the whole way there and quickly rushed him inside to be seen as he began to have a heart attack.
"I felt numb having to wait outside for him fearing the worst and was devastated when I was told that his heart had stopped for 15 minutes. Although I was thankful that he was still alive.
"From there we started the toughest year of our lives as I sat beside him in the Children's Hospital for a month while he was in a coma, not knowing what would await us when he finally opened his eyes. I refused to leave his side the entire time because I couldn't bear the thought of not being with him in case anything happened."
Chloe said that during Cole's year long stay at the hospital his doctors and nurses "became like family" to her and she will be forever thankful for the dedicated care they provided for her son.
She continued: "The Christmas after he went into a coma I had gone home quickly to wrap up presents for my two daughters before going back to see Cole again. I then got the best present I could have asked for when I walked into his room and his eyes opened and he gave me a little smile.
"Over the next few days he went for scans in order to check-up on his condition, because during his coma he had been suffering seizures and doctors wanted to establish the damage that had been done to his brain.
"I was told that he had the 'best worst result' as the section of his brain that was damaged controlled his coordination and speech and that mentally he would be OK.
"Over the coming months he fought so hard through recovery with his physios and OTs and after a gruelling few months he was eventually able to stand unaided, although not for long as his condition has had a huge impact on his movements and his ability to control them.
"While I am so proud of how hard he fought to get where he is, my heart is still broken that I will never be able to hear his voice again. I would do anything to hear him shouting and laughing while playing games with his friends again."
Two years on from the life-changing ordeal, Chloe is now the full-time carer for her 16-year-old son alongside raising her two daughters aged 10 and two.
She says that while it can be very difficult and frustrating at times, she is determined to make sure that Cole is able to live the best life possible.
Chloe said: "As our house in Newtownards was not suitable we had to be relocated to Millisle which is quite out of the way from our support network of family and friends and can make everyday a challenge because I have to be with Cole at all times.
"He is still fully aware of all that is around him and for him to go from being such a social butterfly with his friends to not being able to do anything has had a huge impact on him, but I still try to do all I can to improve this which often involves him enjoying a nice steak.
"At the moment I am having to take taxis to anywhere we want to go together because I don't have suitable transport, which can be very expensive and makes organising things for him, like seeing his best friend, a huge challenge.
"Because of this I am having to reach out to others for help so that I am able to give Cole the quality of life that he deserves and have started a fundraiser so that I am able to get a wheelchair accessible van and equipment for him.
"This would allow us to go on trips and out for meals without having to pay huge sums for taxis there and back and would make all of our lives easier as it feels like at the moment we never leave our house.
"If anyone is able to help us we would be very grateful as it would give our family the boost that it needs after two tough and very difficult years."
If you would like to donate to Chloe's fundraiser please follow this link.
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