IT is two years since the death of tragic Jake McGeough -- but it will be three more months before his parents find out how and why he died.

Their little "angel"died at 18 months at Alder Hey Children's Hospital Jake's mother Keira spoke to Clare Cook about how her family are trying to cope...

KEIRA McGeough and Jake's father Wayne Knight were overjoyed at the birth of a healthy baby son. He was their fourth child.

But in July 2001 they took their baby boy to Queen's Park Hospital in Blackburn, believing he was suffering from a chest infection. After an initial check he was taken by ambulance to Liverpool's Alder Hey hospital where he died, three days later.

The grief his parents felt soon turned to anger at the seemingly endless wait for answers. They persevered through the news that a criminal investigation into his death had been shelved.

After four months, the hospital admitted that negligence had "caused or contributed" to Jake's death when they administered the muscle-relaxing drug Vecuronium.

An internal investigation into the case was conducted earlier this year but the findings were not made public.

Then in April this year, the Crown Prosecution Service said that there was "insufficient evidence" to pursue criminal proceedings against two nurses from Alder Hey hospital, who were suspended following Jake's death.

So for Keira, 26, and her family, of Leicester Road, Blackburn, an inquest set for October is the first time in two years they will get any answers.

The inquest will be heard before a jury from October 6 after being opened and adjourned 12 times over the last two years.

Today Keira paid tribute to her special son and spoke of her hope that the inquest will help them move on. "Everyone says that when they lose a child 'he was a little angel' but Jake really was," she said.

"He was different and I am glad I had him for so many months rather than none at all. But I am keen to get some answers at last. It is still a long wait but I am grateful they have now fixed a time.

"It has been a terrible wait but I am glad they have gone through it with a fine tooth comb so they do not miss anything. If they had rushed it they could have missed something vital.

"Hopefully we will find out once and for all and it will be worth the wait."

She said the last two months had been almost unbearable for dad Wayne Knight and the whole family and without children Nicole, 10, Wayne, 7, and Danielle, six, she would not have made it through.

The family were planning to visit Jake's grave in Pleasington Cemetery today to pay tribute to the child.

"My children are the ones who have kept me going," she said. "Without them I don't think I would be pulling through."

But Keira knows that with the inquest, some of the hardest challenges still lie ahead when she tries to explain the truth to Jake's brother and sisters.

She said: "The time will come when they ask what actually happened to him and they might not be able to understand. I will wait and see what we get from the inquest before we can decide what to do next."

A spokesperson for Alder Hey Hospital said: "We continue to extend our deepest sympathies and condolences to the family."