The family of tragic 12-year-old Dean Henshall took the devastating decision to turn off his life support machine last October when his condition deteriorated after an infection had put him in a seizure-induced coma.

The Cowley Language College pupil's mum, Sheila, 45, only found out last year that she carried a rare faulty gene following a series of tests.

Dean was born with the epileptic condition GEFS+, while his sister Lucy, 14, suffers from the similar, but more debilitating, Dravet syndrome.

Sheila, Ruskin Drive, Dentons Green, said: "Dean had been suffering from a sore throat but seemed to be getting better. He got up in the night to go to the bathroom but when he went back to his bedroom he started having a fit. I did my best to cool him down but the seizure wouldn't stop.

"Dean's condition was well controlled with medication so we had no warning of what was about to happen. I'd always feared something like this could happen to Lucy - but not Dean."

Dean was rushed to intensive care at Alder Hey Children's Hospital and spent three days in a coma before his organs started shutting down.

Doctors described how a complex chain of events had led to the Liverpool FC fan's death and, sadly, there was nothing they could do to stop his brain from swelling.

Dean's family opted to donate his organs in the hours after he died and have since discovered that two successful kidney transplants have taken place.

Now, after promising Dean a big birthday party, Sheila has arranged a gathering of friends and family to celebrate Dean's life this Friday (February 12) - on what would have been his 13th birthday.

She also revealed that Dean's ashes are set to be blasted into the sky at a special fireworks display set to his favourite music - Shine and Never Forget by Take That, Don't Stop Me Now by Queen, Leona Lewis and Eye Of The Tiger.

Sheila, co-ordinator of the local Parent Partnership, which supports families of children with disabilities, added: "Dean was such a fantastic little boy - he was so full of life. He was really funny too and was always coming out with one-liners. He once told me that, when he grew up, he either wanted to be a footballer or an ice cream man!

"Lucy is very confused about it all. I often find her in Dean's room with his picture. Some of his friends still come around to the house too because they're so upset about what's happened - but it's very quiet without him."

A special Facebook webpage set up in Dean's memory has already collected nearly 7,000 fans.

But Sheila wants more people to sign up because an anonymous sponsor has agreed to donate 10p to the IDEA League charity - dedicated to Dravet syndrome sufferers - for every fan on the site.

To visit the page or become a fan, go online at: www.facebook.com/deanhenshall

A fund-raising race night is also set to take place in Dean's memory on Saturday (February 13) at the Bull and Dog pub, Clock Face Road, Clock Face, from 7pm.
The event will include a sport auction with Saints star Paul Wellens set to attend between 7.30pm and 9pm.