The mum of cherished Tayside boy Blake McMillan has hailed her “little fighter” after the youngster passed away.
Jenny Howe’s son Blake McMillan, 7, died after a battle with a rare genetic condition called MECP2 duplication syndrome, which left him unable to eat, walk or talk and in need of round-the-clock care.
It also meant he suffered frequent seizures.
He was diagnosed with the condition, for which there is no known cure, when he was just three weeks old.
Jenny posted on social media on Saturday morning: “Fly high my darling boy. Words will never be able to express the love I have for you. You have made your mark on this world and by god it’s a big mark.
“Your legacy will live on forever. The hole in my heart and my life will never be filled but I will be strong, like you, and I will learn to live without you.
She said her son had taught “so many people so much”.
“I’m at the top of that list. My overwhelming feelings right now are pride and luck. You were given to me and I truly believe I’m the luckiest and happiest mummy in the world.
“You are my little fighter who fought so bravely to the very end and you left this world in peace. I love you my angel. So very, very much. Thank you for being my son
Jenny has spent years fundraising for research into MECP2 in the hope of finding a cure for the condition, which only affects a few hundred people around the world.
She runs a thrift shop in Carnoustie and has organised a host of fundraising events which have raised hundreds of thousands of pounds.
Junior football side Carnoustie Panmure held a minute’s silence on Saturday in Blake’s memory.
A minutes applause at Laing Park in memory of Blake McMillan pic.twitter.com/8HsAUP3m1s
— Carnoustie Panmure (@TheGowfers) February 8, 2020
Blake was born at full term in March 2012.
He was taken into the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit when he was just 24-hours-old and tests later diagnosed MECP2 duplication syndrome.
Blake returned home to Carnoustie from hospital in January this year after having battled back from a near-death situation for the third time in four years.
Communities across Tayside came together to organise a huge number of events to raise money for the brave youngster and to fund research into MECP2.
He is survived by his parents Jenny and Paul, stepdad James Howe, and elder sister Faye.
