Shock over boy’s sudden death
A Canterbury family is grieving for their ‘‘happy-go-lucky’’ toddler after he died unexpectedly in his bed from a ‘‘massive’’ seizure just one week before his second birthday.
Maria Jordan found her 1-year-old son, Jayden Jordan, dead at their Rakaia home about 7.40am on Thursday.
An autopsy on Friday confirmed Jayden, known as JJ, had died from a ‘‘massive seizure’’, relative Vanessa Barnes said.
The family were struggling to come to terms with Jayden’s death, but had a lot of support around them and wanted to pass that support on to others in need, Barnes said. They had asked people to make donations to Ronald McDonald House, in lieu of sending flowers for Jayden’s funeral in Rakaia at 1.30pm tomorrow.
The Jordan family had spent a lot of time at Ronald McDonald House in Christchurch over the years, as all five of their children had been born prematurely.
Oldest son, Coby, was born at only 32 weeks. Maria and husband, Clint, then fell pregnant with twins, but baby Quentin, who had Down syndrome, did not survive.
Baby Caitlin was born prematurely and had been ‘‘in and out of hospital her whole life’’, Barnes said.
She had suffered several major seizures, had fluid on the brain and other ‘‘bad illnesses’’.
Twins Jayden and Cameron were also born prematurely, and at 3 months old, Jayden suffered a seizure.
Doctors removed fluid from his brain and he did not have another seizure until the one that killed him early Thursday.
Barnes said the autopsy report suggested the seizure was so big it would not have mattered where or when it happened. ‘‘He wouldn’t have survived.’’
The Jordan family was now focused on ‘‘trying to get through each day’’. Jayden and his twin brother, Cameron, would have been celebrating their second birthday on Friday.
‘‘[Jayden] was a very loving, pleasant boy. He just loved smiling. He just loved his brothers and sister,’’ Barnes said. ‘‘He was just such a happy-go-lucky boy.’’