A young boxer is throwing all his weight behind a championship effort to raise cash in memory of his girlfriend’s 15-month-old baby sister, who tragically lost her life to meningitis.
“Gorgeous” little Teagan Jones fell ill in November and died just a few days later at Newcastle’s Freeman Hospital.
Teagan’s parents, John Jones and Tracy Beedle, of Brambles Farm in Middlesbrough, and her brothers and sisters, were all left devastated by the tot’s death.
Now Liam Lillystone, the boyfriend of Teagan’s eldest sister Chloe Jones, 16, is stepping into the ring to raise cash for a headstone for the much-loved little girl.
Liam, 15, of Thorntree, will be heading up to Birtley in Tyne and Wear on Saturday, where he’ll be fighting for the junior title at the ABA (Amateur Boxing Association) championships.
He’s been sponsored by family, friends and acquaintances for the fight - and some have even said they’ll double their sponsorship if he wins.
Liam’s dad Anthony Lillystone, who helps coach his son at East Middlesbrough Boxing Gym, said: “He had this idea completely off his own back. It makes you so proud to hear him say he’s boxing for that little girl.
“It hit Chloe’s family really hard, and it’s hit us as well. Early last year, one of our twins, Liam’s brother, had something similar and we thought we were going to lose him.
“We’re lucky - he’s still here - but Teagan’s gone.
“We wanted people to know about what Liam’s doing because I think it’s important as well to raise awareness of meningitis, and to show that if a 15-year-old boy can do something like this, everyone else can do things as well.”
Liam, an Ormesby School pupil who also lives with step-mum Lisa Gill and siblings Tia, five, and three-year-old twins Harvey and Harrison, said: “I was already going to be boxing anyway, so I just thought it would be a good chance to raise some money.”
Teagan and Chloe’s dad John, who also has children Stacey, 14, Leon, eight, Paige, six and three-year-old Mason, said: “Our family thinks the world of Liam, and he thinks the world of Chloe.
“I think it’s fantastic what he’s doing.
“Teagan was a gorgeous little girl. If I ever woke up in a bad mood, as you do sometimes, she would always put a smile on my face.
“One day she was fine, the next day her breathing started going funny and she had a bit of a temperature.
“We were told to give her three days but she just got worse within that time.”
Teagan died on November 24 as a result of a combination of meningitis, septicaemia and pneumonia.
“I think it’s a shame we don’t have an ECMO machine in this area - that’s why she was taken to Newcastle,” added John.
“It’s a machine that works the heart, lungs and liver.
“If we could raise some money and get one of those machines here that would be great as well.”
Anyone wanting to sponsor Liam can send him a message via Facebook http://on.fb.me/1Ax3HR1 .
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