The parents of a six-month-old boy struck down by meningitis have told of their heartbreaking decision to switch off the machine keeping him alive.

Ryan Heptinstall, of Allerton, Bradford, contracted a deadly blood disorder just as his mum and dad believed he was winning the fight against meningitis.

He died in Leeds General Infirmary less than two weeks after he fell ill.

Shattered parents Richard Heptinstall and Samantha Illingworth, of Sandpiper Mews, today spoke of the terrible decision they had to make.

"Basically there would not have been anything of my little boy left, but it was still an extremely difficult decision to make," Samantha said.

But they of told their pride at the way Ryan courageously battled against his crippling illness.

Initially, they thought he was suffering from a cold, until his symptoms worsened and he was rushed to Bradford Royal Infirmary.

"He fought all the way and if he had not got the second infection then I am sure he would have pulled through," said Samantha, 35.

"We will both remember him how he was when he was alive. Ryan was such a happy boy. He had just mastered his giggle and his little personality was beginning to come out.

"Sometimes it is hard to remember how he was, but he had the perfect little smile and the perfect little giggle.

"We have been through two weeks from hell. It is so awful - he had such a short little life."

The couple said they had "clung to every little hope" since Ryan fell ill at nursery with diarrhoea and a suspected fever after suffering from a cough and cold for a few days.

He had shown none of the symptoms they associated with meningitis and it was not until an examination at Bradford Royal Infirmary that doctors realised he had contracted the disease.

Within hours he was rushed to Leeds General Infirmary where staff battled to save his life.

But seven days after he was transferred, a scan revealed Ryan had suffered massive brain damage as a result of the rare blood disorder Hemolytic-Uremic Syndrome.

He had contracted the condition, which destroys red blood cells and stops the kidneys functioning, as a complication to the meningitis.

"The doctor said that Ryan had really severe brain damage and that he probably would never be able to do anything for himself," recalled Samantha. "He wouldn't be able to eat, walk, or talk. Basically, he'd be able to breathe.

"We were told when he contracted the disease that it had a high infant mortality rate, but it still comes as a massive shock to have the words said to you."

Richard, 26, a transport manager, added: "We could have brought him home and he might breathe for himself. But we would never get any response from him. The hardest thing was deciding when to turn the machine off."

Today the couple said they hoped Ryan's story would make other parents aware of the dangers of the disease.

The rare Pneumococcal strain Ryan contracted is not accompanied by the rash associated with other strands of the disease.

"It is just so difficult to detect," said import clerk Samantha. "With him being so little, we didn't know if he had a stiff neck or was reacting badly to light. He was still eating and loved his food. He was just a normal little boy with a normal little boy's cough."

And she said life would never be the same without Ryan around.

"It just seems so strange not to have him here. This is the kind of thing that doesn't happen to you. We just want to thank all the people at the two hospitals who did all they could to save Ryan's life and everyone who came to the funeral to show their support."

Dr Ruth Gelletlie, Bradford's Consultant in Communicable Disease Control, said public health staff were aware of Ryan's death.

She said: "The illness that this child died from was not meningococcal disease and it does not present any risk to others. The death of a child is always very distressing and our sympathies are with the family."