Special tribute to Jack Beattie

Jul 13 2008 by Coreena Ford, Sunday Sun

BRAVE Jack Beattie lost his fight for life just weeks after he was nominated as a Child of Courage.

And after hearing how he battled a rare genetic condition the judges and Sunday Sun decided to pay a special tribute to the youngster, through a moving video that left everyone in tears.

The video told how Jack was only 11 weeks when diagnosed with Methylmalonic Acidaema, a metabolic disorder which left him unable to process proteins.

Complications left the plucky Newcastle United fan with a brain injury and a whole list of other complications. He had seizures and spasms, and was fed through a tube into his stomach . . . yet he remained cheerful and cheeky right up until his death in May.

His devoted mother Jackie, of Stanley, County Durham, said: “I wanted to carry on with the Champion of the North competition in his memory. He meant the world to me.”