The parents of a county Armagh schoolboy who died suddenly earlier this week have thanked those who supported their family over the last number of days.
JohnJoe Toner, 11, passed away on Tuesday night after suffering a suspected heart attack at school on Thursday.
Parents Maria and Cormac Toner, thanked those who reached out to help the family.
In a statement they said: “We are totally devastated at the loss of our precious little boy.
“We wish to extend our thanks to everyone who prayed for him and attended vigils.
“A heartfelt thanks to the medical team in Daisy Hill and to the Clarke Clinic in the Royal Victoria Hospital, Belfast who supported us through this difficult time. We would ask that people keep us in their thoughts and prayers in the coming days and weeks.”
Declan Cunnane, who is the chief executive of Northern Ireland Chest Heart & Stroke, also passed on condolences to the Toner family.
“Three years ago we funded a research programme to get a better understanding of congenital heart disease,” he said.
“The Baby Hearts Study is currently being carried out by Professor Helen Dolk, Ulster University and Dr Frank Casey at the Royal Hospital for Sick Children and they hope to present their findings in April of this year.
“We know this is too late for John Joe’s family.
“However, we hope they will gain some comfort from knowing that we are fighting against this terrible disease to try and stop another family having to deal with a similar tragedy. ”
Funeral mass will take place in St Michael’s Church, Clady, tomorrow at 11am.
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