Tributes to 'kind', thoughtful' aspiring YouTube star Liam (7)

Liam Allen never recovered from a fit which lasted two hours last Saturday evening and died the next day.

Aunt Toni Connell (42) said her sister and brother-in-law, Paula and Dave Allen, were “so confused” by what had happened.

“Miracle” child Liam — conceived naturally after IVF treatment failed — made headlines in 2017 after saving gran Jenny Allen from choking.

The youngster fell ill last Friday night (22) — hours after posing for his class photo at Badsley Primary School — but the family felt he was getting better the next day.

Aspiring YouTuber Liam, of East Dene, had been playing on his laptop on Saturday (23) when Dave told him to put the computer away at 9.30pm as it was bedtime.

“His dad went to the bathroom and when he came out Liam was fitting,” said Toni.

“They phoned the ambulance. They tried their best at home but nothing was working. 

“They got him to Rotherham Hospital, where they were still trying to get him out of the fit, but it lasted two hours.

“No medication worked so they had to sedate him to give his body a rest and get him out of the fit.”

Toni said Liam had fitted three times previously in his life and his family had been awaiting the results of an MRI scan over suspected epilepsy, with which brother Rory (3) had been diagnosed.

Sheffield’s Embrace team, which specialises in transporting critically ill children, joined the medical staff who worked on Liam through the night.

He was transferred to Sheffield Children’s Hospital at 10am on Sunday but had suffered severe brain damage and his condition never improved.

After being told their son could not be saved, Paula and Dave lay beside Liam and held him as he passed away at 5.10pm on Sunday.

“It was like a bad dream,” said Toni. “We just thought: ‘Is this really happening?’

“We lost our mum in April aged 61, so we were just preparing ourselves for our first Christmas without Mum. Now we have a funeral to plan.”

Toni, of Whiston, described Liam as a doting big brother to siblings Rory, Graci (5), Levi (4) and baby Eavi — born five weeks ago.

“He always had Eavi in his arms,” she added. “He was the most loving, kind-hearted kid.

“The last time I saw him was the Sunday before his death. I babysat him after his parents had taken Rory to hospital because he’d had a fit.

“Liam was blowing me kisses and saying: ‘I love you’.”

Headteacher Mark Windle described Liam as a kind, thoughtful, little boy who always had a smile on his face and was a real joy to have in school.

He added: “He always tried his best in everything he did and had a particular talent in maths and art.  

“Liam especially enjoyed playing ‘tig’ with his friends and competing with others on maths challenges. Liam was much loved by both staff and children, and we will miss him greatly.”

Liam’s family are trying to make his first YouTube video go viral in a bid to keep his memory alive and win him a plaque, which is awarded to vloggers with 100,000 subscribers.

His dad Dave has urged people to subscribe to his son’s YouTube channel — here — to help them reach the milestone. 

A postmortem is due to take place and a date for the funeral is yet to be fixed.