Telford youngster Travis loses brave fight

A brave five-year-old boy who died after undergoing 13 heart operations including a transplant, fought to the end, his mother said today.

Travis Rogers, from Telford, died on December 15 after his family decided to turn off the artificial heart keeping him alive. His mother, Ann, today paid tribute to the 'cheeky' youngster, who had been in hospital since February.

And she described how they had brought Christmas Day forward to the day before he died to hold celebrations for Travis and his family at the Freeman Hospital in Newcastle-upon-Tyne where he was being treated.

Miss Rogers, of Castlecroft, Stirchley, said: "He was born with heart problems and had a pacemaker fitted when he was six months old. From then until November 2010 he was well."

The Grange Park Primary School pupil, who died after developing a lung infection, had been born with his heart the wrong way round and had a transplant in August this year.

Miss Rogers, 45, said: "He was just so strong, he just kept bouncing back. He fought so much, he was unbelievable, he fought to the end."