Rhys died very suddenly on January 29th 2002 after a swift and fatal illness, he was 5 years old. He contracted Meningo Encephalitis, which is a medical condition that simultaneously resembles both meningitis, which is an infection or inflammation of the meninges, and encephalitis, which is an infection or inflammation of the brain, which came on him very suddenly. No one could have ever prepared us for the speed of this illness, and the devastating effect it was to have on our lives. Rhys started to complain of a mild headache early on a Sunday evening, but it was nothing I hadn't seen before with him. I put him in to bed with me after giving him a dose of calpol, and that seemed to do the trick. He was even eating curry flavoured Pringles and playing games with me. Just before he fell asleep he made me laugh so much, he sang to me "Take me Home Country Roads" I laughed so much because I had never heard him sing that song before. This was to be the last time I was ever going to hear my little angel sing. Little did I know that when he closed his eyes he would be fighting for his life less than 2 hours later, which was to be in vain, as less than 24 hours later I was being told the devastating news that my son was not going to make it. The speed of this illness is just unbelievable, and it seems to lay in wait like some kind of predator. My Rhys was such a kind, fun and happy little boy who has left this huge gap in our lives that will never be filled. But he has also left memories so precious, that they give us all the strength and determination not to let his death be in vain, but to try and raise awareness of this devastating illness in the hope that other families are spared the pain and heartache of losing someone they love. Although Rhys is not here in person, his spirit lives on in all of us, and the bond we shared as mother and son, will never be broken.