A DEVASTATED dad has paid tribute to his beloved son on the first anniversary of the eight-year-old’s tragic death.

Little Cody McFarlane, who suffered from a series of disabilities, passed away just over a year ago after being stricken with severe breathing difficulties.

He was rushed to Inverclyde Royal and then Yorkhill Children’s Hospital in Glasgow but his organs started to fail.

Cody battled for life for more than a week before slipping away on 21 September.

His dad James Watson has bravely spoken to the Telegraph about the last 12 traumatic months he and his partner Joanne McFarlane have suffered following the terrible loss of their son.

James, 50, of Greenock’s Glenbrae Road, said: “It’s been devastating over the last year.

“We’ve both suffered depression — there’s a massive void.

“Cody was our life.

“For all his disabilities, he always managed to give us a big smile after a seizure to let us know he was ok.

“He only cried if there was something really wrong.

“It is a massive loss in our lives.” After a normal birth, it was discovered that Cody had congenital malformation of the brain.

As he grew older he developed dystonia, a condition which causes muscle spasms, epilepsy, cerebral palsy and hydrocephalus, fluid on the brain.

The youngster was unable to speak, was blind and had to be fed through a tube.

He spent half of his far too short life in hospital but left his loved ones with precious, cherished memories which they will never forget.

Proud dad James, a Tai Chi instructor, said: “Cody was loved by everybody.

“He was one the strongest children I’ve ever come across and very brave.” James can vividly recall how his little boy fought for life so hard after becoming gravely ill last year.

He told the Telegraph: “He fought for over a week and I was so proud of him.

“The signs were good at times but it was just too much for him.

“He couldn’t control his breathing and his temperature was rising.

“Due to his hydrocephalus his temperature would always spike and trigger off other things, dystonia and seizures.

“The doctors put him on oxygen and all these other machines and heart monitors.

“Then he was transferred to intensive care in Yorkhill.

“They started to work on him and he seemed to make some sort of progress but he became jaundiced.

“His pancreas went first and his liver was failing.

Cody took seriously unwell soon after a day trip away with his school.

Joanne, 35, said she knew immediately that something was wrong when she collected him from the school bus.

James explained: “When he came home from Lilybank School that day his mum took him off the school bus and he was bright red facially and his lips were blue.

“Joanne took him off the bus and put him on oxygen — he was in total distress.” Although Cody’s parents knew his life expectancy would be shortened due to his disabilities, Cody’s sudden death came as a terrible shock. James said: “We knew his life span was going to be shortened but we expected the bad times when he was 12 to a teenager.

“No way did we expect him to die at eight years old.” The family are determined to remember the good times and the joy that Cody brought them during his short life.

James and Joanne made sure Cody lived as full a life as possible and a year before he died they enjoyed a trip to Disneyland in Paris, thanks to the Make A Wish Foundation.

James said: “We didn’t want to rule out doing things — his mum had him everywhere.

“A week before he passed away he went yachting at Castle Semple in Lochwinnoch. We wanted him to get as many experiences as possible and his mum made sure he got that.” Cody was also a well-loved member of the local U Matter Club, which runs activities for disabled children in Inverclyde.

James said: “Cody was one of the original members. He was there from the very start.

“They all loved him there — he was almost a mascot for the club.” James and Joanne marked the first anniversary of Cody’s death by visiting his grave at Knocknairshill Cemetery and releasing balloons.

They are also preparing for the birth of a new baby next month.

James, who has four grown-up children from a previous relationship, a stepson and a three-year-old granddaughter, praised the doctors who cared for Cody before he passed away.

He said: “There were around 20 members of the family there.

“The hospital couldn’t do any more for us.” The family are particularly keen to thank Dr Kidson at Yorkhill, plus their family and friends for the support they have given over the last year since Cody’s death.

James said: “Everybody loved him dearly.”