Heart failure ruled cause of boy's death

6/12/2011

Nicholas Allore, the 6-year-old Temperance boy who died after collapsing during a field trip at the Toledo Zoo, died of congestive heart failure, Dr. Diane Barnett, Lucas County deputy coroner said Saturday.

Dr. Barnett said Nicholas suffered a congenital heart condition that was not diagnosed before his death Thursday.

Nicholas was on a field trip with his Smith Road Elementary School kindergarten class when he complained of a “tummy ache,” his grandmother, Marie Allore, had said.

He collapsed during a walk around the zoo.

Dr. Barnett said the boy’s heart had been failing for some time but had gone undetected.

“It wasn’t something that happened within the last two minutes,” the deputy coroner said.

His heart was the size of an adult’s,” she said. “It nearly filled his whole chest area.”

Dr. Barnett said the boy’s mother told her that her son did not show any indication of having a heart condition before the incident at the zoo.

His grandmother earlier had said Nicholas was like any other child at play when he complained of the “bellyache,” but didn’t want to stop going.

“He wanted to go see the new baby elephant. It was soon after that,” she said Friday.

Dr. Barnett said a child of 6 generally has little concept of the difference between a bellyache and a heart pain and thus would be unable to warn his parents of a serious condition.

Ms. Allore had described Nicholas as a fun-loving child who enjoyed riding his bicycle, playing games with his older brother, and going to the zoo to see animals.

Nicholas’ mother, Beverly Allore, and his father, William Allore, had declined to comment.

Nicholas, who was pronounced dead at 2:52 p.m. Thursday, was taken to the University of Toledo Medical Center, formerly the Medical College of Ohio.

Visitation for Nicholas is to be from 2 to 9 p.m. Tuesday at Neville Funeral Home in Springfield township.

His funeral is to be at 11 a.m. Wednesday in St. Richard’s Catholic Church, Swanton.

He is survived by his parents, William and Beverly Allore, brother, Billy, and grandparents, Thomas and Marie Allore and Ralph and Barbara Hohlbein.