A HEARTBROKEN mum whose son died suddenly at school fears she may never know the full reason behind the tragedy as the agonising wait for answers goes on.
Ryan Heffernan-Surplice, 12, died after suffering a “medical emergency” at Shoebury High School on March 28.
The exact cause of death has still not been determined by experts, with Ryan’s mum, Catherine Heffernan, describing the situation like “a missing piece of a jigsaw”.
She says medical professionals are continuing to carry out tests on Ryan and are now analysing some of his organs, with an inquest set to take place within the next month.
“It’s just that one bit of closure we would like,” Miss Heffernan said.
“They are waiting for test results to come back and everything needs to be looked at. I am hoping we will get answers and can have an inquest soon.
“We feel like we have a piece missing and not having any answers doesn’t give any reasons. There doesn’t seem to be any logic behind what happened that day and that’s hard.
“I have had my two daughters checked to ensure there is no hereditary condition and it came back clear, which gave me some piece of mind.
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“I am preparing myself for there being no answers and it could be a sudden death syndrome.”
Hundreds turned out across Southend to attend Ryan’s funeral, with people lining the streets to form a guard of honour from his school and along Delaware Road in Shoebury.
With other aspects of Miss Heffernan’s life returning to normal, she admits the lack of answers is “heartbreaking” and memories of her son still make her emotional.
She added: “Since I’ve been back to work in Asda the first question everyone asks me is what happened.
“We’ve got to the stage where it’s not as tearful to remember memories.
“We talk about him a lot and the silliest little things make us remember him.
“The silly things make me smile and cry.”
Essex Police said it was not treating Ryan’s death as suspicious.
The office of HM Coroner for Essex said the case is ongoing and there is still no date listed for an inquest into Ryan’s death.
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