The father of a Fredericton boy who died suddenly after collapsing on his way to school says he will remember his son as being kind, respectful and considerate of other people.

“For a nine-year-old child, he was much older than he was,” says John Blois, glancing at a photo of his son, Garrett.

Blois says Monday morning started out much like any other school day, but it quickly took a tragic turn.

“He liked his chocolate Cheerios, so I got him a bowl and he had his cereal and he got ready to go to the door and he always gave me a hug.”

That was the last time Blois would see his son alive. About 30 minutes later, a police officer knocked on his door.

“They came to the door and said ‘Mr. Blois, your son Garrett, you have a son Garrett?’ And I said ‘yes.’ ‘He just collapsed on the road and he’s in an ambulance going to the hospital.’”

Garrett had just left home and was walking to school when he suddenly collapsed on Greensfield Drive, just off Prospect Street, before 8 a.m. Monday.

Several people on board a nearby public transit bus rushed to help the Grade 4 Priestman Street Elementary student and stayed with him until ambulances arrived to take him to hospital.

As Blois rushed to his son’s bedside, he was warned things didn’t look good.

“I went in the room and there were three pediatricians and five or six doctors and they were doing all they could for about an hour and a half, two hours, and God love them. I want to thank them because they tried so hard to save him and finally it just hit a point where they couldn’t do anymore,” he says.

“I grabbed him and I begged and pleaded to do what they could to save him and they couldn’t do no more and I just held him and I talked to and I prayed over him.”

Police now say Garrett died from a “sudden cardiac event.” Blois says he had no idea his son had a heart condition.

“He was out skating the day before and they had a ball and you would never have known he had a problem.”

Blois says he wants people to know what kind of person his son was and how he lived his life – always thinking of others and trying to make people smile.

“He was an exceptionally good child and people should know what kind of boy he was.”

Tragically, he says he learned of his son’s heart condition the hard way, and he hopes no other parent has to go through the same experience.

“If it saves another child’s life so that no other parents have to go through this, it’s well worth it, because it’s a terrible feeling to live with.”

Blois says he also wants to reach out and thank the people who rushed off the bus and tried to save his son.

Garrett's funeral is scheduled for Saturday.

With files from CTV Atlantic's Nick Moore