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Thursday, August 28, 2008, 07:30
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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