A Fraserburgh mum has spoken for the first time about her son’s death to encourage others to support a charity that helps families with terminally ill children.
Lynn Easdale’s five-year-old “little superhero” son Jayden died in May, after battling a rare genetic condition.
He was diagnosed with Tay Sachs Disease just a month after his first birthday in 2017.
The condition progressively destroys nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord, while causing loss of vision or hearing, muscle stiffness and seizures.
During the hardest of times, his family were supported by Children’s Hospices Across Scotland (Chas) and its mission to ensure no one faces the death of their child alone.
‘I was upset, angry, deflated and devastated all at once’
Mrs Easdale and her husband, Brian, felt their “whole world was taken from under them” when they were given their baby boy’s diagnosis and told he might not live beyond the age of four.
“I will never forget the moment the doctors told me that,” she said.
“It felt like my whole world was taken from under me, like a helium balloon with the air suddenly taken out.
“I was upset, angry, deflated and devastated all at once. I kept thinking why has this happened to us? Why my son? But then you adapt. You have to.”
Despite the doctors’ projections, the couple and their two elder children – Connor, eight, and 21-year-old Kaitlyn – were gifted with more time to create “precious memories” with Jayden.
Beating all odds like his favourite Marvel superheroes, “Captain Jayden” celebrated his fifth birthday in April this year.
But soon after, his health started to deteriorate rapidly and he developed a urine infection and pneumonia, alongside “major” complications with his feeding.
‘His death still hit us all like a ton of bricks’
Knowing Jayden was “at the end of his life”, the family moved to Chas’ Rachel House, where they could spend their final moments with him in their “home from home”.
He died on May 25 – two months after he turned five.
Mrs Easdale said: “We knew that Jayden was at end of life, so we were as prepared as you can be, but his death still hit us all like a ton of bricks.
“The morning Jayden died one of the staff members at Rachel House helped me shower him. I didn’t even know this was an option.
“I could hold him in my arms and tell him how loved he was.
“In the weeks after, if it wasn’t for Chas, it would be had been absolutely unbearable. Impossible. The staff were there by our side 24/7.”
Support Chas Christmas campaign to give back
Jayden was the hero of Chas’ summer campaign last year, when his story helped raise £57,000 in support of families across Scotland during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Now, his mum has decided to back the charity’s Christmas appeal, which includes radio and television adverts and powerfully depicts the heartbreak faced by those whose children die young.
As well as offering the support they needed, the Chas at Home nurses also played a vital part in arranging the funeral Jayden would have wanted – with his favourite characters Captain America, Captain Marvel and Supergirl leading the cortege.
Dozens of people, including the local football team, lined the streets to pay their respects as Jayden was given a guard of honour by the Fraserburgh fire brigade.
“We honestly didn’t realise how many hearts Jayden had stolen – he’s had letters, pictures drawn for him and presents sent to him,” Mrs Easdale added.
“Jayden will always be in our hearts and thoughts, but my other two children Connor and Kaitlyn kept me going – they got me out of bed every morning.
“If Jayden were here today, he would tell us all to be happy. He’d want us to keep going, keep smiling and keep busy. So that’s what we try to do every single day.”