Sheffield mother Sammy Knowles is mourning the heartbreaking loss of her 4-year-old son, Jaxon Knowles, whom she called their “miracle baby.”

Sammy and her husband had taken Jaxon on what was supposed to be a dream vacation. But shortly after they returned home, the little boy started complaining about pain under his arm.

Later that night, he went to sleep but woke up with stomach pain, his devastated mother recalled.

Feeling unwell, Jaxon asked to sleep in his parents’ bed—something he often did when he wasn’t feeling his best. To help bring down his fever, Sammy gave him paracetamol, just as she had done before when treating his chest infections.

Unfortunately, when she woke up around 5 a.m. to check on him, she noticed a rash spreading across his body. At first, she assumed it might be chickenpox, but within minutes, she realized it was something far more serious.

As the rash worsened, Sammy immediately called for an ambulance. “His mouth and tongue started swelling, and he began vomiting. We called 999, and while waiting for help, he was struggling to breathe. We had to turn him onto his side,” she told YorkshireLive.

By the time they reached the hospital, Jaxon’s condition had already become critical. He was bleeding from his eyes, and doctors determined he needed to be placed in a coma before being transferred to a specialized children’s hospital.

Tragically, despite all their efforts, his little heart couldn’t hold on.

Doctors told Jaxon Knowles’ parents that he had meningitis. Tragically, he passed away on the morning of February 17.