SHAYDON SMITHdied on 7 February, 2008, after spending the 16 months of his life in and out of hospital.Shaydon was born in September 2006, four months premature and weighing just 2lb, and with only one-and-a-half lungs.And he spent his last hours in the Donna Louise Trust’s Treetops children’s hospice in Stoke-on-Trent, surrounded by family.His devastated father, Michael, said: "He went with dignity, he went with pride, and most of all he went with all our love."In January 2008, Shaydon’s family was told that he had been battling MRSA, as well as cerebral palsy, brain damage and other conditions.Yet despite everything he was up against, he seemed to rally after being sent home to Sherwood Drive, Meir, Stoke-on-Trent, in the same month.But he was re-admitted to The University Hospital of North Staffordshire on 4 February, 2008, where medical experts spoke to his parents.Mum Mary, 35, said: "The doctors told us that there was not much they could do any more for Shaydon, and there was nothing that could stop him deteriorating, and they asked us where we wanted him to go."We said the Donna Louise Trust to see what they could do to make him comfortable."Shaydon was admitted to Treetops on 6 February, 2008 and he died in his sleep at 10.50pm the following night.The cause of death was pulmonary hypertension linked to his long-term lung problems, said Mr Smith.And he could not praise the care his young son received in the hospice highly enough.Mr Smith, 48, said: "The place deserves a medal for what they have done, the way they have supported us – there are no words to describe it. The staff have treated us with respect, with dignity, and have told us to treat the place like our home."Step-brother John Smith, 19, paid tribute to Shaydon: "He has been a fighter. He has been a little soldier all of his life, but now that he has gone he is out of pain."Mr Smith said that his son had picked up the nickname Morris while visiting hospital because of his habit of shaking a little bell when he wanted attention.And he had also developed the ability to get staff and family to come running by taking a probe monitoring his heart rate off a big toe.His proud dad added: "He kept on fighting and fighting and fighting."
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