A five-year-old boy whose family thought he had a stomach bug died a day after doctors discovered what was causing his illness. Jude Platts, five, who went to Abbot’s Lea School in Woolton, was born with a rare chromosome disorder, called microdeletion 16p11.2, which affected his mobility and speech.
Doctors thought he may never be able to learn to walk, but he proved them wrong. However, over the Christmas period in December 2025, Jude began vomiting one day in the early hours of the morning. He didn’t have a temperature, or any other symptoms, so his family just assumed he had a sickness bug.
Jude continued to vomit all morning and all afternoon, until things took a turn for the worse at around 8pm. Out of nowhere, he began having a seizure, leading his concerned family to immediately call an ambulance.
Jude’s brother, Adam Platts, 25 said: “Jude had an infectious personality, he could light up any room, he was always happy, never sad.
“He’s always been a fighter, he broke down every obstacle in his way. One day over Christmas he started throwing up, we assumed he just had a bug. That evening he started having a seizure, it just came out of nowhere.”
Jude was then diagnosed with streptococcal pneumonia meningitis, with doctors giving him a 5% chance of survival. He didn’t respond to treatments, and after doctors told his mum Sasha and dad Nathaniel his brain was showing no activity at all, they made the heartbreaking decision to turn off his life support machine on New Year’s Eve, 24 hours after he received his diagnosis.
Jude Platts with his family(Image: Adam Platts / SWNS)
Adam said: “In the hospital, he became paralysed down the left-hand side of his body, doctors thought he might have had a stroke. Scans showed he had encephalitis, doctors said he was in an extremely critical condition, with just 5% chance of survival.
“They said they’d never seen an infection affect the brain so quickly and aggressively. Later that day, we received the worst news ever, that there was no brain activity at all from Jude.
“We made the decision to turn off life support, and he passed away peacefully, surrounded by his family. It was heartbreaking, Jude was so special to all of us.”
Last month, Abbot’s Lea School school paid tribute to Jude.
Jude died 24 hours after being diagnosed with meningitis(Image: Adam Platts / SWNS)
In a Facebook post, the school said: “We are deeply saddened to share the heartbreaking news of the death of Jude Michael David Platts, known and loved by many as ‘Jude the Dude.’
“Jude was a much-loved and treasured member of our community, and he will be remembered for the joy, warmth, and individuality he brought to those around him. He touched many lives, and his loss is felt profoundly.
“Our thoughts are with Jude’s family, friends, and all who knew and loved him at this incredibly difficult time.”
The Platts family are now raising money via GoFundMe to give Jude the best send off.
Adam, an engineer said: “We don’t want a generic gravestone, we want to go all out, and make sure he is remembered.”