A little boy who captured the hearts of the community

Rodney Edwards • Published 19 Aug 2010 16:00 0 Comments

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Marc Elliott’s father Damien carrying his son’s coffin.

“We wished you could have stayed with us here on earth but God wanted his golden angel home. Your love, strength and courage would be put to better use in heaven.”

The grief-stricken parents of terminally ill Marc Elliott paying tribute to their brave little boy who died on Saturday, just one month after his sixth birthday.

For over a year, Damien and Adel’s son fought a long and courageous battle with Adrenoleukodystrophy, the deadly incurable disease which damages the brain and eventually kills. But, unable to fight the illness any more, Marc passed away peacefully in the Erne Hospital at the weekend. A heart-breaking end to a story that has captured the hearts of the entire community.

His loving parents have said their son was an inspiration “every single day” of his short life.

“You showed us that love and happiness can conquer all that brings you down. We know you fought long and hard to stay as long as you did and although it hurts us so much that God thought you were too special to stay with us, your smile and hearty laugh gives us hope that we will be reunited someday. You are watching over us now and we will always be thinking of you.” Damien and Adel said that their love for little Marc is “eternal”.

“He was so brave and a real fighter. He was always happy and allowed us to shower him with all the love we had for him. Our love for him is eternal. And in the end, Marc decided it was his time and went for a sleep. He left us peacefully with no pain,” they said.

The difficulty of watching that Marc was ill and there was no solution was unbearable for Damien and Adel to accept. It was made worse by the revelation that their one-year-old son, Matthew had also shown symptoms of the disease. Horrendous news the couple heard just days after his christening a year ago.

But Damien and Adel were determined to support the plight of their two sons and did so with incredible passion.

They remained positive and committed to fighting Marc’s illness with him and found immense strength from his courage. Time and again brave Marc baffled doctors with his remarkable progress, making his two loving parents even more proud of their special little boy and even more committed to the cause.

They weren’t alone either as local people, many of whom were just strangers to them, rallied around the family by organising countless fund-raising events for the Marc Elliott Trust Fund, set up in support of the Enniskillen boy.

It has understandably, been a roller coaster of emotions for the couple. Each time they thought they had a glimmer of hope, it was quickly dashed and replaced with fear.

At first Damien and Adel planned to take Marc to Minnesota in America to undergo a bone-marrow transplant which they were told would prolong the life of their sick son -- but they needed to raise over $850,000 to do so.

Then after much deliberation, the Royal Children’s Hospital in Bristol finally agreed to do the operation and the Elliott family moved to Bristol for six months as little Marc had the massive operation.

They were dealt with a further blow -- his body rejected the bone marrow and he was left with tunnel vision.

Yet despite the hardship, Marc showed incredible resilience and returned home from Bristol with his parents in time for Christmas. Heartbreakingly, it was to be their last one together.

Marc’s largely attended funeral in St. Michael’s Church on Monday proved how much his plight had struck a chord with the people of Fermanagh too.

On Facebook, tributes to him are being posted every few minutes from family, friends and the general public. Several hundred comments have been left on the website in his memory.

His Godfather, Sean Maguire wrote: “He fought for a long, long time but is suffering no more. He is now in heaven looking down on us. Rest in peace little man. Love you forever.”

Laura McBrien said: “Adel, you are the strongest and best mum I know. Marc will always be looking down on you, Damien and Matthew. Little Marc and his beautiful smile will never be forgotten and we were all so lucky to have got to know him. He touched everyone’s hearts.”

Louise Beresford wrote: “Not only were you both blessed with Marc but he too was blessed with such wonderful parents. May the strength Marc showed through his battle carry you through your lives.”

This article appeared in Impartial Reporter 19 Aug 10

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