HUNDREDS of mourners packed a village church to say a

tearful goodbye to a teenager with cerebral palsy whose mum

called him "my little sausage".

Jack Baker died in his sleep on August 15, four years after

parents Martin and Tina were first told his condition would cut

short his life.

About 200 mourners, dressed in red, orange, yellow, blue,

green and white, at his parents' request, attended the

16-year-old's funeral, held yesterday at Melbourne United

Reform Church.

Jack's white coffin, adorned with Scooby Doo stickers,

arrived in church to Enrique Iglesias's Hero, a song which had

been playing when Jack came through a big operation.

It was carried out to The Power of Love.

In between, Mr and Mrs Baker, of Nettlefold Crescent,

Melbourne, paid a tearful tribute to their son.

Mr Baker, his voice breaking with emotion, said: "JB, as I

called him, or my little sausage to his mum, or spotty as

grandad called him, touched a lot of people's hearts.

"I also called Jack my little sat-nav. He mapped his own

life out and called all the shots.

"This year had been such a painful one for him, but he just

smiled through it all. We rarely saw a tear, but when we did,

we knew it was too much for him.

"We tried to think of any negatives in his life, but we

could only find positives. We have held our heads up high and

coped with so much."

Jack, who had a mental age of two and whose only form of

communication was through his eyes and facial expressions, was

a practical joker, the congregation heard.

The teenager could not walk, speak or eat solid food, but

his father said he was always smiling and happy and making

mischief by taking off his glasses.

He also loved to play pattacake with "anyone and

everyone".

Jack had frequent epileptic seizures, scoliosis of the spine

and a pneumonia-like condition of the left lung which made him

breathless.

Osteoporosis in his hips and legs caused him constant pain,

while he needed feeding, changing and 15 separate medicines a

day, as well as oxygen for his breathlessness.

Mrs Baker, 38, is 26 weeks pregnant after trying for a

second baby for 16 years.

During that time, she has had four miscarriages, a premature

baby who died, and an abortion because of severe deformity.

She told the congregation Jack had waited for it to happen

before he died.

She said: "God bless you Jack and see you later, love you

lots, mum and dad."

A private burial service was later held at the church before

friends and family went to the Royal British Legion club for a

"celebration of Jack's life".

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