Little fighter loses his battle

A "little fighter" given just two weeks to live when he was born has died after a two-year battle against the odds. Conner Hadlington, of Brierley Hill never recovered after catching flu at Christmas last year.

Conner, aged two, died at Russells Hall Hospital in Dudley. He was diagnosed in the womb with Varta Syndrome, a chronic condition which affects the internal organs, and he suffered a relentless string of health problems after his birth on August 3, 2005.

But parents Simon, aged 27, and Leanne, 25, and grandparents Martin and Shirley, both 50, thought the toddler was making small steps to recovery before he was struck down by the flu bug on Boxing Day.

Simon and Leanne, of William Street, Brierley Hill, were too upset to comment but grandfather Mr Hadlington said they were all grateful for the little time they had with him.

The tearful father-of-five, of Orchard Street, Brierley Hill, said: "All the pain and heartache we have got now is a price worth paying for our 30 months with him.

"Through everything that was going on with him he was always extremely happy. He was a little fighter who was loving and giving and our lives have been enriched by his being."

Conner, who had just five per cent kidney function in one organ and zero in the other for the whole of his life, underwent an emergency 16-hour operation at Birmingham Childrens' Hospital when he was just a day old to repair problems with his lungs and windpipe. Doctors said he had just two weeks to live, and when he passed that milestone, three months.

But he was transferred to Russells Hall Hospital when he was six months old and six months after that he was well enough to go home. Conner's progress, despite another few health scares in the next year, sparked hopes he was on the mend.

"I always believed Conner would prove them wrong but his nan believes by the end he had simply had enough," Mr Hadlington, a project manager for Solihull-based Piper Construction, said.

Conner died at Russells Hall on February 10. Around 200 people attended a funeral service on February 21.