Following the unexpected death of their 4-year-old son, Jaxon Knowles, from a rare and severe form of meningitis, a distraught family in England is putting their grief into action. Sammy and John Knowles, his parents, are speaking out in an effort to increase public awareness of the fatal illness and secure additional funding for research in order to avert such tragedies in the future.

After his parents battled infertility for years, Jaxon, dubbed the couple’s “miracle baby,” was born in July 2020. Before finally welcoming their son into the world, Sammy and John had gone through three miscarriages and five rounds of IVF during their seven-year infertility journey.

In an interview, Jaxon’s mother stated, “We had nearly given up.” “We always tried to make his life as special as we could, and every moment we spent with him was a blessing.”

However, following a weekend family vacation to Blackpool, England, their lives were completely upended. Jaxon began complaining of stomach distress and pain beneath his arm on February 16. His parents weren’t too concerned because he had a history of chest infections. He requested to sleep in his mother’s bed that night, as he frequently did when he wasn’t feeling well.