What was meant to be a joyful family vacation turned into an unimaginable tragedy.
The Knowles family is now grieving the loss of their 4-year-old son, Jaxon, and they want to share an important message with others.
During a short trip to Blackpool, Jaxon’s parents, Sammy and Jordan Knowles, hoped to make happy memories with their little boy. But on their return home on Sunday, February 16, things took a heartbreaking turn.
“Jaxon was complaining about pain under his arm, then fell asleep for a while. When he woke up, he said his tummy hurt,” Sammy shared with Yorkshire Live.
Later that night, Jaxon asked to sleep in his mother’s bed — something he always did when he wasn’t feeling well. Sammy gave him a low dose of paracetamol to help reduce his fever, a remedy that usually worked for his frequent chest infections.
But when she woke up around 5 a.m. the next morning, everything had taken a terrifying turn.
“I used my phone’s torch to check his temperature, and that’s when I saw the rash,” Sammy said, her voice shaking. “At first, I thought it was chickenpox, but when I turned on the lamp, I realized it was much worse.”
The rash spread quickly, and Jaxon’s condition worsened rapidly.
“His mouth and tongue started swelling, and he vomited. We called 999, and as we waited for the ambulance, he could barely breathe. We had to turn him on his side.”
Sammy described the agonizing wait for help, which felt like an eternity.
By the time they reached the hospital, Jaxon was in critical condition. Fifteen doctors surrounded him, fighting to save his life.
“They worked on him for hours, but he was crying blood,” Sammy recalled. “I tried to comfort him by singing his favorite lullabies, but the doctors told me they had to put him into a coma and transfer him to a children’s hospital.”
Tragically, despite the tireless efforts of the medical team, Jaxon’s heart stopped. Though they briefly revived him, he passed away on the morning of Monday, February 17.
“I still can’t believe it,” Sammy said through tears. “He was fine just hours before. There were no signs, no symptoms of meningitis. It came out of nowhere.”
Jaxon’s cause of death was later confirmed as meningococcal disease, a severe and often deadly form of bacterial meningitis that mostly affects young children.
“He was our miracle baby,” Sammy shared, fighting back tears. “We spent seven years trying to have him, going through multiple rounds of IVF. After three miscarriages, he was our last hope.”
Though devastated, Sammy and Jordan are now channeling their heartbreak into raising awareness about meningitis.
“If we can help even one family, that would mean everything,” Jordan said, his voice filled with emotion as he spoke about their son.
In the United States, about 3,000 people — roughly one in every 100,000 — are diagnosed with bacterial meningitis annually. Up to 10% of these cases can be fatal. While meningitis can strike at any age, infants and young children face the highest risk.
The illness often begins with common symptoms like headache and fever, making it difficult to diagnose early on. As it progresses, more specific signs appear, such as severe headache, neck pain when bending forward, stiff neck, and sometimes sensitivity to light.
In later stages, symptoms may include confusion, extreme tiredness, or seizures. The disease can worsen rapidly, with some patients falling into delirium or coma before receiving medical help.
In memory of Jaxon, a charity page has been created to raise funds for Meningitis Now, an organization dedicated to supporting families affected by the disease.
“We know there wasn’t a vaccine available for Jax, but with more funding and research, hopefully things will change in the future,” Mr. Knowles shared with the BBC.
To honor Jaxon’s memory, Sheffield Wednesday — the football club he loved — will hold a tribute during their match against Sunderland, inviting fans to join a four-minute round of applause.
Jaxon’s grieving parents continue to come to terms with their heartbreaking loss. “He was everything to us,” Sammy says. “Now, there’s just a void. Our house is empty. Our world is empty. We have nothing.”