Cancer boy’s mum gives birth to brother 12 days after he died

THE mum of a little boy who died following a brave cancer battle has given birth to the little brother he will never see.

We revealed earlier this month how Jake Perry died from a brain tumour on the eve of his eighth birthday.

Mum Christine Hall was due to be induced hours before Jake passed away.

Now, nursing her tiny bundle of joy in her arms, she said baby James is giving her fresh hope for the future.

“We’ll always talk to him about Jake,” said Christine, 34. “It breaks my heart that Jake didn’t get the chance to meet him.”

James was born 12 days later than expected at St John’s Hospital in West Lothian on Tuesday.

He weighed a healthy 7lb 4oz.

His birth came as a massive relief for the couple, who had spent weeks worrying about the impact the stress of losing Jake might have had on his unborn baby brother.

Today they told of the emotional turmoil of wrestling with the grief and heartache of losing Jake, while at the same time feeling the kind of joy and wonder any new parents feels when they meet their new baby.

“We’ve had a lot of mixed emotions,” said Mark, 43, who was present for the birth. “We’re still getting used to Jake not being here.

“It still doesn’t feel real.

“You go from feeling happy that the baby’s arrived and that he’s okay, to thinking about Jake and what happened to him.

“It shouldn’t be that way.

“Jake was so excited about him. It’s really hard that it didn’t happen and he’s been taken away.”

Christine had been so desperate for Jake’s wish to meet the new addition to come true, that she had made plans to have the birth induced, only to be called home from hospital as her son’s condition deteriorated.

Within hours, Jake was gone.

“That’s the hardest bit,” she said, holding baby James close. “But he’ll always be a part of the family and he’ll always be in his life.”

Dad Mark registered the birth at the same time as making arrangements for a headstone to mark Jake’s final resting spot at Hermand Park cemetery near their home in Addiewell, West Lothian.

That’s just one of several heart-breaking coincidences that have thrown the couple into a nightmare spell of grief for one child while they welcome a new baby to the family.

In the last couple of weeks they have had to combine planning Jake’s funeral with preparing for their new arrival – with Christine having to shop for a special funeral outfit to cover her baby bump, and choosing the order of service while also attending ante natal appointments.

And there was a bitter-sweet moment when Christine scrolled through her phone and discovered a short video she’d never seen before of Jake, his sister, and two brothers, larking about.

“He looked so fit and healthy,” said Edinburgh Airport baggage handler Mark. “It was just a few weeks before he got ill. It’s hard to believe things can change so quickly.

“Everything has happened at once, but we’ve just had to get on with things.

“I think eventually we’ll look back on all of this and wonder how we got through it.

“It’s all been too much.”

A family friend has launched a fundraising campaign to help Christine and Mark pay for Jake’s funeral costs and other expenses.

To help, go to www.gofundme.com/254nkwc

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