David Cameron's eldest son dies
Updated on 25 February 2009
Conservative party leader David Cameron's six-year-old son Ivan has died, it was announced today.
A Conservative party spokesman said: "It is with great sadness that David and Samantha Cameron must confirm the death of their six-year-old son Ivan.
"Ivan, who suffered from cerebral palsy and severe epilepsy, was taken ill overnight and died at St Mary's hospital, Paddington, early this morning.
"David and Samantha would ask that their privacy is respected at this terribly difficult time."
Ivan, along with his brother Arthur, two, and Nancy, four, had featured on Mr Cameron's Christmas card this year. At the time, Mr Cameron said: "My family is the biggest thing in my life."
Friends have previously attributed Mr Cameron's "modernising" leadership of the Conservatives to the NHS care Ivan received.
Tributes
Prime Minister Gordon Brown offered his condolences saying the loss of a child was something "no parent should have to bear".
Mr Brown, whose own baby daughter died in 2002, said: "Sarah and I were very saddened to hear of the death of Ivan and we have sent our condolences to David and Samantha.
"The death of a child is a loss no parent should have to bear.
"I know Ivan was a child who brought joy to all those who knew him and his was a life surrounded by love.
"The thoughts and prayers of the whole country are with David, Samantha and their family."
Mr and Mrs Brown's first child, Jennifer Jane, was born prematurely in 2001 and died after just 10 days in January 2002. They have since had two sons, John and Fraser. Fraser suffers from cystic fibrosis.
Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg, whose wife gave birth to their third son at the weekend, said: "My heart goes out to David and Samantha at this incredibly difficult time for them and their family."
Mr Cameron had been due to attend Prime Minister's Questions in the House of Commons at noon. However, Downing Street has confirmed that PMQs will be suspended today.
Instead, MPs in the Commons will hear brief statements at noon from Prime Minister Gordon Brown, shadow foreign secretary William Hague and Liberal Democrat Treasury spokesman Vince Cable.
Mr Cable was already due to deputise for his leader Nick Clegg who is on paternity leave.
Downing Street also announced that the formal unveiling of a new portrait of former prime minister Lady Thatcher, which Mr Cameron had been due to attend at Number 10 later, has also been postponed.
What is cerebral palsy?
Ivan Cameron suffered from cerebral palsy and severe epilepsy which caused a range of disabilities.
About one in 400 babies born in the UK each year will have cerebral palsy and symptoms include stiffness or floppiness of the limbs.
There are several types of cerebral palsy and how badly a person is affected in their daily lives depends on which part of the brain is damaged.
About one in 400 babies born in the UK each year will have cerebral palsy and symptoms include stiffness or floppiness of the limbs.
Some people with cerebral palsy suffer only minor problems but others have severe disabilities.
The condition's major effect is that it causes movement problems such as difficulties walking, feeding, talking or using the body.
Some people are unable to sit up without support and require help with feeding.
Depending on which part of the brain is damaged, there may be problems with sight, hearing, perception and accompanying learning difficulties.
People with cerebral palsy often have difficulty controlling their facial expressions.
The main types of cerebral palsy include spastic cerebral palsy, where some of the muscles in the body are tight, stiff and weak. The limbs become stiff and may be drawn in towards the body. Seven out of 10 cases of the condition are spastic cerebral palsy.
Athetoid (dyskinetic) cerebral palsy, about 10 per cent of cases, is when control of muscles and posture is disrupted by spontaneous and unwanted movements. The person may have involuntary writhing movements.
In ataxic cerebral palsy a sufferer can have problems with balance, shaky movements of hands or feet, and difficulty with speech.
Mixed cerebral palsy is when there is a combination of two or more of the above conditions.
Symptoms of cerebral palsy
The symptoms of cerebral palsy can take a few months to develop. David Cameron has said he and his wife Samantha noticed that Ivan was having sudden jerky movements within days of his birth.
The first symptoms of cerebral palsy that parents may notice is problems with feeding, such as gagging on food or vomiting.
A youngster may also be slow to crawl or walk and have weakness in their limbs, slowness of speech and a delay in developing social skills with other children or family members.
It used to be thought that cerebral palsy was caused by problems during labour or birth but it is now generally accepted that this only relates to about one in 10 cases.
The most common cause of cerebral palsy is when the developing brain becomes damaged while the baby is growing in the womb.
This may be caused by genetic problems, malformations of the brain and conditions that affect the mother, such as rubella or toxoplasmosis - which is caught from a parasite in undercooked meat, raw meat and cat faeces.
Infections when a baby is young (such as encephalitis or meningitis) can also lead to cerebral palsy.
The condition cannot be cured but treatments and physiotherapy, occupational therapy and speech therapy can help reduce its impact.
Epilepsy
Epilepsy, which affects more than 450,000 people in the UK, is defined by having recurrent seizures, sometimes called fits.
Between around a quarter and a third of children and adolescents, and about one in 10 adults, will also have epilepsy, according to the charity Scope.
There is no current cure for epilepsy but medication can help control seizures and allow people to live as normal a life as possible.
A seizure is caused by a sudden burst of excess electrical activity in the brain, which causes disruption to the way messages pass along the body's systems.
The number and type of seizures will vary from person to person and there are many different associated syndromes, some of which are very rare.
Scientists know about 40 different types of seizure and a person may have more than one type.
Sometimes the reasons for epilepsy are known - such as brain damage suffered during a difficult birth or a stroke which starves the brain of oxygen.
However, most people with the condition, around 60 per cent, will not know the reason behind their epilepsy.
There is no current cure for epilepsy but medication can help control seizures and allow people to live as normal a life as possible.
