Jaxon Knowles was rushed to hospital where he received a devastating meningitis diagnosis

A couple’s “miracle baby” tragically died the day after they returned from a “brilliant” family holiday.

Sammy and John Knowles had taken four-year-old Jaxon to Blackpool for the weekend, but when it was time to go home, he’d said his armpit was hurting and later complained of tummy ache.

The youngster also developed a rash and his devastated mum recalled how his tongue began to swell, leaving him struggling to breathe.

Jaxon, who was also “crying blood”, was rushed to hospital where he tragically died after receiving a devastating meningitis diagnosis.

“He was our miracle baby and our last chance of having kids – now he’s gone,” a heartbroken Sammy told YorkshireLive.

READ MORE: Mum’s agonising two-year wait for answers after son’s nursery death

The 40-year-old, from Sheffield said prior to his death, she’d enjoyed a short weekend break with Jaxon and husband John, 38.

She said Jaxon’s uncle and a family friend had also been there and recalled how her son had loved to dive bomb in the pool and ‘acted like a lunatic’ before they returned home on Sunday, February 16.

Sammy said before they left, Jaxon had started to feel unwell, adding: “He was complaining about under his arm [armpit] hurting.

“He then went to sleep for a while before waking up to say that he had a tummy ache.

“When we got home around 6pm on Sunday, as I lifted him out of the car he kept asking to sleep in ‘mummy’s bed’ – which he always did when he was ill.

“He often got chest infections, so it was nothing new. I gave him some Calpol, which usual sorts out illnesses and did keep his temperature down.

“I stayed up with him till 2am and then woke up at 5am, when I used my torch on my phone so I was able to see his temperature reading – but that was when I saw a rash.

“My first thought was that it was chicken pox and I was devastated for him but when I turned on the lamp next to me, I immediately saw how bad it was.

“I told my husband that I wanted to go to A&E straightaway and as we were getting dressed his condition got worse.

“He threw up, then his mouth and tongue began swelling. We immediately called 999 who told us to lay him down but he couldn’t breathe so we had to turn him to his side.”

Sammy said it “felt like an eternity had passed” until medics arrived and said the first she heard about Jaxon having meningitis was when they were in the ambulance, adding: “We were told 15 nurses and doctors were waiting in the ICU of Rotherham Hospital.”

She continued: “I was in shock as I had not heard anything about meningitis for years.”

Jaxon’s rash continued to get worse when he got to hospital, as Sammy and John did their best to comfort him.

“He just kept asking to sleep in mummy’s room,” Sammy said. “I tried to distract him by singing his favourite lullabies.

“He was crying blood and it was awful. The doctors eventually told us that he needed to be put into a coma and the plan was to send him to a children’s hospital.

“They continued to work on him and told us that they managed to restart his heart when it stopped but then we were urgently called back into the room as he had then died.”

As the couple prepare for their son’s funeral on March 10, Sammy said: “It still doesn’t feel real.

“He was fine all weekend and in a matter of hours he is gone. There were no symptoms of meningitis.”

Sammy said Jaxon was their “miracle baby”, revealing they’d tried to conceive for seven years, going through five rounds of IVF plus other fertility treatments.

“He changed our world and finally made us parents after we suffered three miscarriages,” she said.

“He took our sadness away. He loved going on holiday and travelled the world with us. We took him to Lapland last Christmas.

“He was such as good boy, no trouble at all. Now we have nothing.”

A charity foundation page has been set up in Jaxon’s name, with all donations going to Meningitis Now. So far more than £13,500 has been donated.