LEIGH'S little Braveheart, Michael Gillespie, has died in hospital after a desperate wait for a heart transplant operation.

Despite a frantic countrywide and European search a suitable donor was not found in time to save the life of the "walking miracle" 10-years-old who never gave up.

He slipped away in Pendlebury Children's Hospital on Thursday after six weeks on national and European alert.

During that critical period countries were scoured for a matching organ, without success.

Heartbroken mum, Vivienne, of Beech Drive, Leigh, said: "Michael touched everyone's hearts. He was our bionic boy, a walking miracle. He had great courage. He suffered a life of illness without moaning. He never gave up and never complained of pain.

"All he asked was when's my new heart coming?"

Michael, a pupil at Christ Church, Pennington, endured a lifetime of problems after he was born with his heart the wrong way round.

At the age of seven he underwent a double switch operation in Birmingham, and operations followed including the fitting of a pacemaker, the repair of the pumping chamber and the fitting of a mechanical valve. He also suffered cardiac arrests.

For the past year the Manchester United and Arnold Schwarzenegger fanatic had been on the transplant list.

His condition worsened six weeks ago and the fight to find a donor began in hope.

The Rev Peter Leakey, conducted a funeral service at Christ Church, Pennington on Thursday. A MUM'S TRIBUTE

With tears in our eyes

With hearts that are broken we whisper low

Michael you never deserved what you went through

You were our darling little boy

Our beautiful, loving, caring son.

Why???

We lived in hope

We prayed so hard

Hoping so much that God would make you well again

But Michael the golden gates stood open

God said you needed rest

His garden must be beautiful

For he only takes the best

Memories of you will never grow old

They are locked in our hearts in letters of gold

Death cannot part us

For each day of our lives

You walk by our side

So look around your garden Lord, and pick the sweetest rose

And place it in our son's arms

And sprinkle it with love

For there lies a very precious, brave son

Who gave us all his love

We love you so much

Your heartbroken mum and dad, Mike, and sister Joanne Estelle.

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