A 10-year-old Waterdown boy who was an avid athlete and dreamed of winning the provincial jiu-jitsu championship has died, days after his family says he got the flu.

Robert John "Bobby" Smylie was watching the Toronto Raptors game on TV with his dad Feb. 4 when his parents say the influenza he came down with five days earlier became much worse without warning.

"We didn't know he was dying," said his dad, Rob Smylie. "He was sitting on the couch with me head-to-head, watching the Raptors and cheering them on ... He was smiling and very chatty and talkative."

After Bobby started throwing up, they took him to Joseph Brant Hospital around 2 p.m. Within an hour, he was critically ill.

A team from McMaster Children's Hospital rushed to Burlington to try to save him. He was taken to McMaster by ambulance around 6:30 p.m. and died at 9:40 p.m.

Smylie said he could see the "anguish of the people" who treated his son.

"They tried valiantly and heroically to save his life," he said. "They worked exceptionally hard to save an exceptional kid. It's a tragedy."

Smylie said Bobby had developed bacterial pneumonia ,which can be a severe influenza complication.

"The last thing he said was, 'I love you, Mom, and I love you, Dad,'" said Smylie. "He was the healthiest kid. He was starting to look like a little body builder. We eat organic. We go to church. We're an old-fashioned family."

Smylie is the chief financial officer of Wabash Canada in Kitchener and his wife, Sabrina, is a stay-at-home mom to Bobby and his 12-year-old sister, Mikayla.

"He loved his sister more than anyone else in the world," said Smylie. "He spent days hanging out with his sister playing video games, watching movies, theorizing about Marvel's '(Avengers:) Infinity War' and watching 'Stranger Things.'"

Bobby was in Grade 4 at Guy B Brown Elementary School and dreamed of being a scientist or an accountant like his dad.

But his passion was Brazilian jiu-jitsu. He trained at Ouroboros in Waterdown and won his first tournament in December. He was determined to win the Ontario championships for his age group in April.

"Every day he was doing 100 chinups, 100 situps, 100 pushups and wrestling with me every night," said Smylie. "He wasn't the biggest kid but he was the strongest kid. He was determined and focused. He was very self-motivated."

Bobby turned 10 on Jan. 25 and was supposed to have a jiu-jitsu birthday party Feb. 10.

He was also talented at swimming and soccer, playing competitively for Flamborough Dundas Soccer Club as a central defender.

"He liked the physicality of all sports," said his dad. "He was good at every sport he decided he wanted to be in."

When Bobby wasn't playing, he was watching sports with his dad. He was supposed to go to his first Toronto Raptors game Thursday. Play-by-play announcer Matt Devlin paid tribute to Bobby at Tuesday's game against the Boston Celtics.

He was a big fan of Toronto FC and his most prized possession was the soccer team's jersey.

"Every kid who thinks of Bobby will think of him in that red Toronto FC jersey," said his dad. "He wore it every single week. Two years in a row he wore it in his school picture. Everyone in Waterdown knows that shirt, I think."

The family attends Grace Anglican Church and has asked for donations to go to the church's memorial fund.

Smylie says their strong faith and the Waterdown community has "carried" them through this terrible time.

"I've had some dark days but I have seen the best in humanity," said Smylie. "I've seen God working through people. I've received thousands of emails and Facebook comments. I've seen complete strangers from other countries send me condolences. My neighbours have brushed off my car and done my driveway. We had someone drive 100 kilometres to drop off a lasagna and give us a hug. The Smylie family is going to be OK because of all the love and support that we received from family, friends and community."

Smylie says he is "at peace" knowing nothing could have been done differently to save his son. Bobby was taken to the family doctor Jan. 31 after he fell ill the day before. His dad says he was given a steroid treatment for flu.

Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading...

By Feb. 2, he appeared to have "turned a corner" and was getting better.

But the next day, Bobby took a turn for the worse, so his parents took him to Joseph Brant Hospital, where he was treated and released.

Again, he seemed to be on the mend until he suddenly started throwing up on Feb. 4 and his parents took him back to the hospital.

Smylie says he was told this year's flu shot does not provide protection against the strain of influenza that made Bobby ill.

"I know it has shaken the community," said Smylie. "The message I want everyone to have is that he lived life to the fullest for 10 years. He had great faith in God and he's OK now. He's at peace and he is in heaven."

His funeral service is Friday at 10 a.m. at Grace Anglican Church at 157 Mill St. N. in Waterdown, or live-stream on the tribute wall at kitchingsteepeandludwig.com

Public health urges flu shots Hamilton's public health department would not comment Thursday on whether it is investigating the death of 10-year-old Robert John "Bobby" Smylie.

The Waterdown family says the Grade 4 student came down with the flu on Jan. 30 and died of bacterial pneumonia, which can be a complication of influenza, on Feb. 4 at McMaster Children's Hospital.

"We offer our condolences to Bobby's family and friends for this tragic loss of a young member of our community," Public Health Services said in a statement. "We cannot comment whether we are aware or not of this case."

If there is a potential risk to the community, public health says it will conduct a "thorough investigation."

"We do not have any evidence that there are any unusually infectious strains that have a greater impact on children," public health said. "Unfortunately, it is the case that people do die from influenza and its complications as well as other infectious diseases and our hearts go out to the family."

Public health recommends Hamiltonians get their flu shot "even if there is sometimes lower efficacy."

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in the United States say flu emergency warning signs for children include trouble breathing, bluish skin colour, not drinking enough, not waking up or interacting, irritability, worsening cough and fever with a rash.

jfrketich@thespec.com

905-526-3349 | @Jfrketich

- UPDATE: Guelph 12-year-old identified as one of two local kids killed by flu