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Midwives feared Lewis Hayman wouldn't survive when he was born at just 29 weeks. He weighed a tiny 3lb 5oz, and midwives were so concerned they offered to arrange for a priest to visit him and his mum, Danielle. Against the odds, Lewis grew into a 'cheeky little boy', but as a young man he fell into the wrong crowd . Danielle says he was exploited by drug dealers who preyed on his vulnerabilities, before he was found dead earlier this year aged just 23. Join the Manchester Evening News WhatsApp group HERE Months before he died, Lewis was diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and autism, after years of his family having recognised certain signs in his behaviour. With her voice breaking as she began to cry, Danielle told Lancs Live : "It's incredibly frustrating and as a mum you do whatever you can but it was so difficult to know what to do. "This is not how it's supposed to be. No parent should have to bury a child." Danielle was just 29 weeks pregnant when she went into labour. Still a child herself, at 15, she was terrified for her tiny newborn baby when he was born at Burnley General Hospital on January 29 in 2002. But he pulled through and grew up into a cheeky little boy who loved family holidays. The family lived in Padiham, Lancashire, and Lewis went on to become a big brother to four siblings; Lill, Harley, Jessie and Charlotte. For Danielle her firstborn, who fought so resolutely for life, will always have a special place in her heart. By the time Lewis reached the age of around seven, when he was a pupil at Padiham Primary School, Danielle had started to notice some unusual behaviours. Lewis 'didn't like playing with other children' and would quickly and easily get bored. Danielle, who works at the Royal Blackburn Hospital, took Lewis to see various doctors over the years, but it was only a few months before his tragic death that he was finally diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and autism. Although the names of the neurodiversity conditions are well recognised now, back when Lewis was a little boy, there wasn't as much awareness. Danielle recalls asking for a formal assessment of Lewis but was told that decision 'wasn't for her to make'. Despite his conditions, Lewis had a normal, happy childhood, although Danielle laughs when she recalls how his ability to concentrate meant that he 'couldn't stick to one thing' as he flitted between hobbies including Army Cadets, fishing, snooker and football, and also did a lot of charity work and volunteering. When Lewis reached the age of 16, Danielle began to become concerned about what her teenage son was doing in his spare time. He frequently 'lost' his mobile phone, and provided unlikely excuses, and he would often be found with cash which they hadn't given to him. "We discovered that he was being exploited by drug dealers," Danielle, 40, said. "He was very vulnerable and people took advantage of that." Desperately worried for her son, Danielle tried everything to keep him away from 'the wrong crowd' of people he had started to hang around with, and even involved the police on several occasions. "Then we found out he'd started using cocaine," Danielle said. "That's when it all started. They made him work as a drug runner to pay off his debts. "They would give him a car and send him off to places like Bradford and Liverpool to pick up the drugs. He was living with my parents at the time and we knew it was serious when he started having cash which they hadn't given to him." As Lewis grew into a confident and cheeky young man there were also many happy times. In 2023 he welcomed a little boy who he 'absolutely adored', mum Danielle says. "He was so excited about becoming a dad," she added. "He wanted nothing more than to be a good dad but because of his conditions it was difficult." But by June 2024 her son's behaviour and frequent attendances at A&E became increasingly worrying for Danielle. In the space of just 11 months he presented to A&E on 19 separate occasions. The seriousness of these instances escalated to the point where Lewis was sectioned under the Mental Health Act. Twice he was detained by police under their powers within the act when Lewis was found next to a motorway bridge and at the side of the railway line threatening to 'jump in front of a train'. Many of these concerning episodes included Lewis being under the influence of illegal substances and involved him experiencing drug-induced psychosis. Lewis's drug use worsened. In March this year Lewis spent six days in hospital where he was diagnosed with severe cocaine toxicity after spending £500 on the Class A drug in the space of just two days. The levels of enzymes indicating issues with kidney function were dangerously high and Lewis was treated by cooling his body and administering fluids and magnesium. In May this year Lewis was finally diagnosed with ADHD but mum Danielle believes that, by this point, the damage had been done. He was referred to specialists on several occasions but due to his substance misuse and neurodiversity issues he refused to engage. On May 18, Lewis spent the night at his friend Matt's house in Burnley, but decided to stay in when his pal went out. In the early hours of the following morning Matt's mum Margaret Farnworth heard Lewis downstairs and at 8am she got up and found she was unable to open the kitchen door. By this point Lewis's mum Danielle and her husband Rick were desperately trying to find out where he was. Lewis had called his mum on a number of occasions during the night, describing how his head had 'gone west', and Danielle instantly recognised that he was suffering an episode of drug-induced psychosis. "He wasn't making any sense and he couldn't tell us where he was," Danielle said. "So I stayed at home with the kids, messaging his friends, while Rick went out driving round the streets looking for him." Danielle and Rick eventually found out where Lewis was and his step-dad raced round to Margaret's home in Anglesey Avenue. Rick forced his way into the kitchen and found Lewis face down on the floor and not breathing. Despite the best efforts of Rick and paramedics, Lewis was pronounced dead at the scene. He was just 23. Danielle has bravely chosen to speak out about her experience in a bid to warn other parents about the signs that their child is being exploited and also to raise awareness about the complexities of ADHD and the risk of drug-induced psychosis when someone attempts to self-medicate with illicit substances. Danielle's belief that the way in which her son's life went downhill was due to him being exploited were shared by a coroner earlier this month. During an inquest into Lewis's death, held on October 3 at Accrington Town Hall, Area Coroner Emma Mather said: "I think Lewis had a certain amount of vulnerability and people exploited that and preyed on that vulnerability." Toxicology tests revealed that Lewis had extremely high levels of cocaine in his system at the time of his death. While the pathologist provided a cause of death as cocaine toxicity the coroner included undiagnosed ADHD as a contributory factor. "I do think that Lewis had some neurodiversity that went undiagnosed and I will find that that contributed to his death," the coroner said, returning a conclusion of a drug-related death. While the coroner's investigation into her son's death has now concluded, Danielle remains focused on getting justice for her son, and raising awareness about her story as a warning to other parents.
