THE parents of a twin baby boy who died suddenly at home have been left searching for answers.
Eight-month-old Angelo Mercer, who was a twin brother to Preston, was found dead by his mother Janice Gough at their east Hull home.
Janice and Angelo's father Steve Mercer thought he may have been suffering from a brain condition.
But MRI test results, which came back after his death, showed nothing abnormal.
Angelo's funeral was held yesterday at Chanterlands Crematorium.
Janice, 30, said: "We were told he might have cerebral palsy, so at worst we thought he would end up in a wheelchair.
"But cerebral palsy is not supposed to carry a death sentence.
"We have a lot of unanswered questions."
Angelo was not breathing when he was born and it took paramedics a few minutes to resuscitate him.
Steve, also 30, said: "Preston came out first and then Angelo was second.
"He came out in a little ball and I looked at him and knew he was dead.
"The paramedics lifted him up onto the side and brought him back to life.
"I honestly thought he was gone, but then I heard a scream and he started crying and I knew he was OK."
At first, doctors and the family didn't notice anything wrong with Angelo.
But he started to have a type of spasm where he would arch his back and fling his arms behind himself.
The family realised he was in a lot of pain when it happened.
He was taken for an MRI scan and doctors explained what they thought the problem might be.
Janice said: "They said there are two C-shaped parts in your brain that are full of liquid, which gets sent around the nervous system to move your body.
"Angelo didn't have the exit holes for the liquid, so it couldn't go anywhere.
"When he had the MRI they said it could be cerebral palsy, muscular dystrophy or spinal muscular atrophy.
"The most likely thing was cerebral palsy, so that is what we were preparing for.
"But then the tests came back negative."
Angelo died in the early hours of January 19, while he was laid alongside Preston and Janice.
Janice said: "I took them downstairs to sleep on the rug as it was really cold that day.
"I woke up at about 4am and gave Preston his feed.
"Then I fed Angelo and he fell asleep in my arms, so I put him down.
"A while later I checked on him and his little eyes were wide open and he had a big grin.
"I thought that meant he was going to have a good day.
"I went to the toilet and when I came back he had the exact same expression on his face.
"I knew something was wrong then."
Janice phoned Steve and 999. She was instructed to give her baby CPR.
Janice said: "I was just being told what to do so I wasn't really thinking, it was all very surreal."
Video: The funeral of Angelo Mercer
She and Steve are keen for Preston to learn all about his twin brother when he is old enough to understand. The couple are preparing a baby box full of photographs, toys and poems, to show to Preston when he is older. They have also written a baby diary, as if Angelo himself had written it, describing how he was only in the world for a short while, but he loved everyone very much. Janice said: "I know it sounds selfish, but I would have rather have had him for eight months than not at all. "He was in pain a lot of the time, but those times when he was happy made it all worthwhile." Steve said the family now want answers to their questions and to learn why Angelo died. He said: "If the MRI scan didn't show anything, are they saying he would have gone on to live a normal life?" The twins were born on May 19, and Angelo died on January 19 – making him exactly eight months old when he passed away. At his funeral yesterday, Angelo's little white coffin had teddies, a bottle and Milky Bar buttons inside it. Speaking to the Mail before the funeral, Steve said: "It cripples me every time I think about it. "I just have to remember he isn't in pain anymore."
Video: The funeral of Angelo Mercer
She and Steve are keen for Preston to learn all about his twin brother when he is old enough to understand. The couple are preparing a baby box full of photographs, toys and poems, to show to Preston when he is older. They have also written a baby diary, as if Angelo himself had written it, describing how he was only in the world for a short while, but he loved everyone very much. Janice said: "I know it sounds selfish, but I would have rather have had him for eight months than not at all. "He was in pain a lot of the time, but those times when he was happy made it all worthwhile." Steve said the family now want answers to their questions and to learn why Angelo died. He said: "If the MRI scan didn't show anything, are they saying he would have gone on to live a normal life?" The twins were born on May 19, and Angelo died on January 19 – making him exactly eight months old when he passed away. At his funeral yesterday, Angelo's little white coffin had teddies, a bottle and Milky Bar buttons inside it. Speaking to the Mail before the funeral, Steve said: "It cripples me every time I think about it. "I just have to remember he isn't in pain anymore."
