Tomas Remeikis 12, died after developing cough (Image: Handout)
A young schoolboy died “out of nowhere” just hours after telling his parents that he would “rest in bed” after suffering from a cold and a temperature. Tomas Remeikis, aged 12, was diagnosed with pulmonary hypertension after doctors found a hole in his heart when he was a toddler.
The NHS notes pulmonary hypertension as a serious condition that can damage the right side of the heart. It causes high blood pressure in the blood vessels that supply the lungs. Despite the diagnosis, the 12-year-old had been living a healthy life for many years, which involved cycling to school every day and participating in taekwondo lessons twice a week. However, on May 26, Tomas, who lived in Southport, fell ill at home.
READ MORE: High blood pressure: Signs of pulmonary hypertension
He was rushed to the hospital but tragically died.
Andrius Remeikis, Tomas’s dad, told the Liverpool Echo: “He was great. He was very kind and friendly. He always had friends. Tomas was born in Manchester. Two years ago we moved into Southport, a little dream of ours. We used to come here often and when we finally moved we were really happy.
“Tomas made friends quickly at school and his taekwondo classes. Everyone knew him as a very kind, friendly and polite person.”
As a young child, Tomas often experienced shortness of breath and tiredness, which are symptoms of the condition.
His father added: “He was just ill all the time but we thought it was chest infections.
The death came as a shock to the family (Image: Handout)
“Then his mum went to see her parents when he was about two and a half, three years old, and he was walking with his grandad on a little scooter. Tomas used to stop to catch his breath and his grandad became suspicious. He said, he shouldn’t be so tired.”
Tomas was then checked by a family doctor in Lithuania, who found the hole in his heart and needed to be operated on urgently. The surgery was a success, but Tomas still had to take medication daily and go for regular check-ups at Great Ormond Street Hospital.
Andrius said: “He was doing really well. He was going taekwondo twice a week. He was cycling to school every day. We always asked him, how are you feeling? How’s your lung?
“Do you have any pain? How’s your heart? He always said, yeah, I’m okay. He had a couple of like fainting episodes, but that was due to the taekwondo training. It was high intensity, a lot of jumping and pushups. This was all noted.
The schoolboy was described as friendly and polite (Image: -)
“Once a year, twice a year, like episodes where he is feeling a bit dizzy. But then nothing would show up in tests. Everything would be very stable.”
Just a week before his death, Tomas began to feel ill with a cough and a temperature, but soon felt better. Andrius continued: “After a couple of days he went back to school. He even cycled with his mum to watch his brother play football. Then the weekend came and he was looking forward to coming out with me to do a car boot sale.”
Tomas started to feel ill again on Bank Holiday Monday. His father asked him the same questions regarding his lungs and heart, but it was just a cough.
“He said, I’ll go rest in bed for a bit. In the afternoon, he got up again, and I made him some tea. I asked how he was feeling and he said, maybe a bit better.
“Then it just happened all of a sudden. I was with my wife and we decided to go to the hospital. She started getting his trousers out and then she shouted at me saying his lips are getting blue. He shouted, ‘mum, help’ we called the ambulance. Then he lost consciousness.”
The ambulance arrived promptly, and Tomas was taken to the hospital. The family is unaware of when or why he died; those who conducted the post-mortem said it seems that his heart failed. However, the cause of death will be determined by an inquest.
Tomas’s death came as a big shock to the family. Andrius said: “Earlier this year, we went to London again to get all the full test done and they were quite happy with how well he was doing. It just came out of nowhere.”
Tomas’s funeral was held at Holy Family Church on Brampton Road, and was attended by friends from both schools he attended and taekwondo, as well s children he played PlayStation online with.
Andrius said: “The word even got out to his ex-teachers in Manchester. A friend he’d met gaming was from Ireland and he flew over with his dad. I thought, what a cool dad, to bring his son to say goodbye to his mate.”
The family has asked for donations to the Pulmonary Hypertension Association, who supported Tomas throughout his life. They have given their permission for his heart to be donated to the organisation for medical research.
Andrius said: “Tomas was kind, friendly, loving and outgoing. He really got along with everyone that he came in contact with. Anyone who spent time with him loved him.”
