A teenager died suddenly, just hours after telling his parents he was going to rest in bed after suffering from a cold and fever.
Twelve-year-old Tomas Remeikis was diagnosed with pulmonary hypertension after doctors found a hole in his heart as a toddler.
The National Health Service (NHS) considers pulmonary hypertension 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 his diagnosis, the 12-year-old had been leading a healthy lifestyle for many years, including biking to school every day and participating in taekwondo classes twice a week. However, on May 26, Tomas, a resident of Southport, North Carolina, USA, fell ill at home.
He was rushed to hospital but tragically died.
Andrius Remeikis, Tomas’s father, told the Liverpool Echo: ” He was great. He was very kind and friendly. I always had friends. Tomas was born in Manchester. Two years ago we moved to Southport, a little dream of ours. We used to come here often, and when we finally moved, we were very happy.”
Tomás quickly made friends at school and in his taekwondo classes. Everyone knew him as a very kind, friendly, and polite person.
As a child, Tomás often experienced shortness of breath and fatigue, which are symptoms of this disease.
His father added: “ He was sick all the time, but we thought it was chest infections.”
Then, his mother came to see his parents when he was about two and a half or three years old, and rode with his grandfather on a skateboard. Tomás would often stop to catch his breath, and his grandfather became suspicious. He said he shouldn’t be so tired.
A GP in Lithuania examined Tomas, who detected the hole in his heart and required urgent surgery. The surgery was successful, but Tomas still had to take daily medication and attend regular check-ups at Great Ormond Street Hospital.
Andrius said: “He was doing really well. He went to taekwondo twice a week. He rode his bike to school every day. We always asked him, ‘How are you feeling? How are your lungs?’”
” Are you in any pain? How’s your heart?” He always said, “Yes, I’m fine .” He had a couple of fainting spells, but that was due to taekwondo training. It was high intensity, with lots of jumping and push-ups. All of this was recorded.
Once a year, twice a year, with episodes of dizziness. But then nothing was detected in the tests. Everything was very stable.
Just a week before he died, Tomás began feeling ill, with a cough and fever, but soon improved. Andrius continued: “ After a couple of days, he went back to school. He even rode his bike with his mom to watch his brother play soccer. Then the weekend came, and he couldn’t wait to come with me to do a car boot sale.”
Tomás started feeling ill again on the bank holiday. His father asked him the same questions about his lungs and heart, but it was just a cough.
He said, ” I’m going to rest in bed for a while.” In the afternoon, he got up, and I made him some tea. I asked him how he was feeling, and he said he might be a little better.
Then, suddenly, it happened. I was with my wife, and we decided to go to the hospital. She started taking off her pants and yelled at me that her lips were purple. He yelled, “Mom, help!” We called an ambulance. Then he lost consciousness.
The ambulance arrived promptly, and Tomás was taken to the hospital. The family does not know when or why he died; those who performed the autopsy stated that he was apparently suffering from heart failure. However, the cause of death will be determined through an inquest.
Tomás’s death was a hard blow to the family. Andrius commented: “Earlier this year, we went to London again to run all the tests, and they were very happy with his progress. It was unexpected.”
Tomas’s funeral was held at Holy Family Church on Brampton Road, and was attended by friends from both schools he attended and from taekwondo, as well as children he played PlayStation online with.
Andrius said: “Word even spread to his former teachers in Manchester. A friend he’d met playing was from Ireland and flew out with his dad. I thought, ‘ What a cool dad!’ He brought his son to say goodbye to his friend.”
The family has requested donations to the Pulmonary Hypertension Association, which supported Tomás throughout his life. They have given their consent for his heart to be donated to the organization for medical research.
Andrius said: “ Tomas was kind, friendly, caring, and outgoing. He got along well with everyone he met. Anyone who spent time with him adored him.”