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A mum has pledged to donate toys and sensory equipment to hospitals in memory of her son.
Timothy “Ting” Strike was just 16 when he passed away, months after finding out he had a rare gene which caused multiple problems with his heart.
The Hundred of Hoo Academy pupil spent months receiving treatment at Medway Maritime Hospital and St Thomas’ Hospital, London, before passing away at home on March 16.
He collapsed on his 16th birthday in July 2018 and shortly after was diagnosed with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy - where the walls of the heart are thickened - as well as a rare immune disorder.
In October last year, Ting and his mother, Ann, were told he would require a double lung and heart transplant.
Doctors said there was only a slim chance of finding a suitable donor for all three organs. He would also have to put on 6kg in weight, and was given a poor prognosis of surviving surgery.
It was then he was told he did not have long to live.
Ann said: “He was amazing. He also suffered from anxiety disorder, ADHD and had mild autism as well. He just took everything on the chin.
“He said ‘Are you telling me I’m going to die then?’ and he had a few minutes to cry and that was it. He coped better than all of us put together.
“I kept him going and he kept me going. The one thing that Ting did say, and I agreed, was that during that time in hospital we did have some good times and we did enjoy it, purely because you make the most of what’s around you.”
Ting, who had been in the Scouts and police cadets, was instrumental in planning his own funeral at Hoo St Werburgh Church.
Ann, who lives in Wylie Road, Hoo, with her son, Ben, 14, and husband Neil, added: “He just went on each day, and each hurdle he just jumped over it, whatever it was. Nothing was impossible for him to overcome.”
During his time at Medway Maritime Hospital, play leaders on the children’s ward offered Ting an iPad to distract him while nurses inserted a cannula.
There was only one, and the tablet was then taken away to give to an anxious girl who was receiving treatment at the same time.
Ann explained: “Ting said, ‘If she needs it more than me, then let her have it’.
“We both had the idea to do some fundraising to give the play leader more.”
As Ting’s time in hospital continued, the pair came up with more ideas about what they would like to do to help other children.
Ann has collected sensory toys and comfortable pillows to distract children during treatment or check-ups, like blood tests.
Ann and Neil went to St Thomas’ Beckett Ward to make their first donation - an Xbox - two weeks ago.
The family want there to be enough toys and pillows to give children the chance to take them home, if this wish.
They have an Amazon Wish List.
Shi Kon Marital Arts, which Ting used to attend, is holding a fundraising tournament in his memory which will include a raffle, cake stall, magician and face painting as well as demonstrations by students. It is at Chatham Grammar School for Girls, Rainham Road, on Sunday, December 1, from 10am.
