HE was only in their lives for four months but Riley Cameron will be remembered by his mum and dad as their incredible little fighter.

Riley was born on August 12 last year, one week overdue and a healthy weight.

But the little boy had a rare heart condition that meant his parents, Michael and Karen, were never able to take him home.

Just four months after his birth, and after doctors had done everything possible to try to make him well, Riley died at children's hospice Rachel House.

Michael said: "When Karen was pregnant a scan showed there may be something wrong with our baby's heart but besides that she had a normal pregnancy.

"She was allowed to go one week overdue and then was taken in to the Southern General to be induced.

"Riley's heart rate kept falling during the labour so doctors were keen to get him out as quickly as possible.

"He was born by Caesarian section and we were so happy to see him."

Riley was placed in an incubator when he was born to help with his breathing. After a week he had still not improved and the situation became critical.

The baby had been born with Total Anomalous Pulmonary Venous Connection (TAPVC), a rare and serious heart condition.

For babies born with TAPVC, blood does not take the normal route from the lungs to the heart and out to the body.

Instead, the veins from the lungs attach to the heart in abnormal positions - Riley's were attached to his stomach - meaning oxygenated blood enters or leaks into the wrong chamber.

This caused Riley to struggle to breath.

Over days his condition became worse and he was moved from the Southern General to Yorkhill children's hospital and the care of cardiac specialists.

Riley was taken by ambulance at 3am to have an 11-hour emergency operation on his heart, which he came through.

He was brought off the ventilator for a short time but was unable to keep breathing on his own. His situation became critical so he was placed back on the machines.

Michael would play music for his son - his jazz favourites, Chet Baker and Miles Davis, and also Mozart.

He and Karen, 39, stayed in Ronald McDonald House, next door to the hospital, while Riley was in Yorkhill.

Michael, who lost his first wife to cancer, has a grown up daughter, Holly, 23, who was also by her little brother's side.

The 51-year-old, who works with the Royal Scottish National Orchestra (RSNO), said: "We had names for him. We called him Rocky Riley and Supersonic. He was a little fighter, he just kept going. I know all parents say this but he was a lovely looking boy.

"Such a loveable boy and such a fighter."

At two months old the little boy had a second operation to try to fix his narrowing arteries.

Doctors had thought one of the veins to his heart was blocked but discovered that, in fact, all were blocked except one.

When surgeons opened up his chest to begin their work the pressure caused Riley's heart to burst.

The little boy endured an 18-hour operation to repair the damage and try to repair, again, his narrow arteries.

He came out of that operation on life support and with his heart on bypass to give his body a chance to rest and repair.

Michael said: "The problem is, you can't stay on bypass for too long.

"It was a very traumatic time at that point. We knew we were up against it. The doctors were testing to see if Riley had brain damage, given the length of time he was in theatre and his time on bypass.

"The aim would have been to reduce his reliance on the ventilator but they were having to turn it up, rather than off.

"His lungs needed cleared all the time.

"Eventually the doctors told us there wasn't anything to offer us any more."

Michael and Karen, a radiographer at the Beatson cancer hospital, made the decision to move Riley to Rachel House, run by CHAS, the children's hospice charity.

Riley died on November 27.

Michael said: "You get to a point, as a parent, where you have to start thinking about the best thing for your child and how much you are prepared to push, what you are prepared to put them through.

"There was only one week of his life where he wasn't on life support.

"We moved him to Robin House and had one day there with him before he died. Just under four months we had him for.

"Riley had always been attached to tubes and wires. It sounds very odd but after he was dead was the only time he was like a normal baby, in that he was not attached to any machines, and so we could hold him and be with him."

Michael and Karen, who is still on maternity leave, are full of praise for the staff at Yorkhill and at CHAS.

He added: "The nurses at Yorkhill were beyond the call of duty. They would come in to see Riley on their day off or early on their shifts to see him. They said they all loved looking after Riley.

"My wife is incredibly strong. My daughter, Holly, has been so strong too - she kept everything together.

"Everybody at work here has been great. I'm not sure if it's working with creative people but they have been very, very supportive and willing to talk about what has happened.

"It's very difficult when you bump into people who haven't seen you in a while and they say, 'Well, did you have a boy or a girl?' and you just know you're about to make them feel uncomfortable.

"But we coping and we want to help those who helped us."

Michael and Karen are now raising money for both organisations that supported their family.

Michael's colleagues are taking part in the Yorkhill Cycle 2015, on Saturday, to raise money for the children's hospital.

Eight musicians will complete the challenge. Katherine Wren, David Martin and Dave Hubbard will tackle the full 72 mile course while Helen Brew, Bill Chandler, Lance Green, John Whitener and Nigel Mason are riding 35 miles.

The group hopes to raise £1,1000 for Yorkhill Children's Charity to add to cash already raised by Karen and Michael.

To donate see www.justgiving.com/rsnoplayers