Boy dies 24 hours after telling mom ‘under my arm hurts’ following family holiday – they’ve now issued a warning to spare others from the same tragedy…

What should have been a joyful family vacation ended in unimaginable tragedy. Now, Sammy and Jordan Knowles are mourning the devastating loss of their 4-year-old son Jaxon—and sharing an urgent message to help save other families from similar heartbreak.

**A Sudden Turn**

After returning home from a short holiday in Blackpool, Jaxon complained of pain under his arm before falling asleep. When he woke, he told his parents his stomach hurt. Sammy gave him paracetamol for what seemed like his usual chest infection and let him sleep in her bed.

Around 5 a.m., everything changed. “I used my phone’s torch to check his temperature, and that’s when I saw the rash,” Sammy recalled to Yorkshire Live. “At first, I thought it was chickenpox, but when I turned on the lamp, I realized it was much worse.”

**A Race Against Time**

Jaxon’s condition deteriorated rapidly. His mouth and tongue swelled, he vomited, and he struggled to breathe. By the time they reached the hospital, 15 doctors surrounded the little boy, fighting desperately to save him.

“He was crying blood,” Sammy remembered through tears. “I sang his favorite lullabies to comfort him.” Despite briefly being revived after his heart stopped, Jaxon passed away on February 17 from meningococcal disease—a deadly bacterial infection.

**Their Miracle Baby**

“He was our miracle baby,” Sammy said. After seven years of trying, three miscarriages, and multiple IVF rounds, Jaxon was their last hope. “He was everything to us. Now there’s just a void.”

**Raising Awareness**

The grieving parents are now channeling their heartbreak into awareness. A charity page supports Meningitis Now, and Sheffield Wednesday—Jaxon’s beloved club—will honor him with a four-minute applause during their next match.

“If we can help even one family, that would mean everything,” Jordan said.

Bacterial meningitis affects about 3,000 Americans annually, with children at highest risk. Symptoms often begin like common illnesses before rapidly worsening—making early recognition critical.