The parents of "creative and cuddly” Mattheus Ferreira-Vieira paid a heartfelt tribute during an inquest into their son's death.
The 11-year-old pupil of Churchill Park Academy in King’s Lynn, died at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital (QEH) after medics failed to diagnose sepsis.
He went into cardiac arrest before he passed away on April 12, 2022.
At an inquest held this week, area coroner Yvonne Blake concluded that the schoolboy “died from sepsis which was not recognised in a timely fashion and the appropriate treatment not instigated. His death was contributed to by neglect."
A moving statement about the boy’s life which was written by his father Vitor Vieira, a machine operative at the QEH, was read out in full at Norfolk Coroner’s Court.
It said: "Mattheus was a happy and normal baby. When he turned two years old, we noticed that he was not talking and seemed to enjoy routine; for example, he liked to watch the same cartoon at the same time every day.
"We talked to him in both English and Portuguese but found that he would not respond. We thought that he might be deaf, so we took him to a doctor to test his hearing. We were told his hearing was normal but that he might be autistic.
"He was around four years old when he received a formal diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder.
"Mattheus attended a mainstream school until 2017 when he moved to Churchill Park Academy which supports children with special needs.
"He enjoyed school and was a very creative child. He loved drawing, colouring-in, and painting. He also loved taking baths and showers, and watching cartoons.
"Mattheus could often be found with a tablet computer in his hand. It provided him with comfort and distraction from the world around him.
"He loved to play, run, and jump.
"While his speech did not improve, we did not have to have a proper conversation with him in order to understand what he wanted.
“If he wanted to go out anywhere, he would say ‘shoes’ in Portuguese and if he was hungry, ‘crisps’ in English. We also knew what he wanted or was trying to explain by his mannerisms.
“Mattheus was largely a very relaxed and pleasant child.
"He sometimes threw a tantrum, which is probably to be expected of any child, but this happened very rarely
“Mattheus was our life and incredibly loved and our world has fallen apart without him.”
Mattheus Philipe Ferreira-Vieira was born in King’s Lynn on November 13, 2010.
He was the only child of Mr Vieira and youngest son to Maria Ferreira. The couple live in Gaywood near King’s Lynn.
Alice Webster, chief executive of the QEH King’s Lynn NHS Foundation Trust, said: “On behalf of the Trust, I reiterate our sincere condolences to the parents of Mattheus Ferreira-Vieira regarding their tragic loss.
“The care that Mattheus received at our hospital fell below our standards and for that we are very sorry.
“We carried out an internal investigation and an external review and are committed to learning all we can to ensure that changes are made to prevent such a tragedy from happening again.”
- To pay tribute to a loved one, email norfolkobituaries@newsquest.co.uk
- To read all obituaries and tributes join the Facebook group Norfolk's Loved & Lost.
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