By CECILY ASSON Friday, March 5 2010

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Gahred-Jesus Yvan Forde...

INSTEAD of celebrating the birthday of their youngest son, Chaz ,who turned four yesterday, Garfield and Lisa Philip-Forde were trying to come to terms with the sudden death of their older son Gahred-Jesus Yvan Forde, eight.

The Standard Two student of the San Fernando Boys’ Roman Catholic School collapsed and died in front of his shocked parents on Wednesday night as he was being spoken to about an incident at school. Gahred-Jesus was rushed to the San Fernando General Hospital by EHS ambulance where he was pronounced dead on arrival. His parents were speaking to him about his behaviour, at about 9.30 pm on Wednesday when he collapsed and died, police reported yesterday.

Forde said a relative witnessed his son’s autopsy at the Forensic Science Centre, St James yesterday and the results revealed the eight-year-old died of a heart attack.

“I was told by my sister that he died as a result of a heart attack. Because of the way he died, tissues have been taken for further testing,” Forde said at the family’s home at Dallas Avenue, Cocoyea yesterday.

He and his wife said Gahred-Jesus never had a history of heart problems and always enjoyed good health. Forde, a supply chain officer at the South West Regional Health Authority (SWRHA), believes fear may have led to his son’s death.

“Their was an incident in school with him pelting crayons and he was given a letter for me to come into the school and see the principal. He was also told of the importance of the letter as it came from the principal’s office. I believe it worried him and while having a talk with him about what was going on, he collapsed.” Lisa, the grieving mother, said she watched her son slump to the ground while they were speaking to him.

“Only minutes before he had his head on my lap in the living room where we were all together as a family watching the Annual Sports Award on television,” she said. “Everything was so sudden, I gave him cardiac pulmonary resuscitation (CPR) while we waited on the arrival of the ambulance but it didn’t work.” Gahred-Jesus spent most of his spare time playing video games and performed well at school. Lisa said their eldest son, Levi, 11 cried all morning for his brother.