The parents of a baby who died at a family daycare centre have revealed the one toy they bought for him hoping he would play with when he grew up.
Riley Ma, 1, was found unresponsive at the facility in Wakerley, in Brisbane’s east, around 3.30pm on September 2 and rushed to hospital.
The one-year-old is understood to have suffered a medical episode and tragically could not be revived.
Riley’s mother, Ying Song, and father, Ning Ma, have since revealed their heartbreak just days after he would have turned 13-months-old.
Ms Song said the whole family was devastated after her ‘healthy, adorable, intelligent’ son’s sudden death.
The parents had bought the young boy toys for when he started to stand and walk on his own.
‘I’d heard that all little boys love to dig in the sand at the beach, so we bought him a whole set of sand toys early on thinking that, once he could walk, we might take him to the beach,’ Ms Song told 7News.
‘Sadly, that opportunity will never come.’
Riley had just started to learn how to walk and would hold onto the coffee table – a sight that filled his parents with happiness.
The one-year-old appeared to be in a happy mood when he was dropped off at the daycare centre at about 7.30am on the day he died.
Just hours later, Riley’s father received the devastating phone call that the boy could not be saved, despite the best efforts of paramedics.
The couple had been ready to have a child since 2015, but waited until they were granted permanent residency in for stability.
After waiting for almost a decade, Ms Song said Riley was born with ‘love and hope and was growing up in a loving environment’.
She said he had just started to smile and interact with strangers, believing Riley would ‘grow to have a bright and cheerful personality’.
Mr Ma remembered his son’s ‘delight’ when finding Ms Song in their many games of hide-and-seek.
‘These are memories we want to keep in our hearts forever,’ he said.
Generous Aussies have raised over $22,000 on a GoFundMe started by close friend and neighbour, Yang Zhao.
‘I can’t thank you enough for your kindness and generosity,’ Ms Zhao wrote in an update to the fundraising page on September 7.
‘Riley’s grandparents have arrived in , and are looking after Riley’s parents.
‘They managed to sleep a bit with all the love from all of you. They would like me to pass their deep appreciation.’