Baby joy for family of tragic Joshua
THE parents of a ‘superhero’ little boy who died from cancer are celebrating a surprise Christmas ’miracle’ - the arrival of his beautiful baby brother.
Joshua McCormack’s fight against a rare brain tumour captured hearts of the nation.
Sadly after a long battle he passed away aged five in January, with his funeral bringing an entire village to a standstill.
His parents Nicola and Kevin McCormack, both 37, said Joshua had always wanted a little the brother or sister to look after and play with.
The couple, from Whitworth, found out Nicola was pregnant in March and their ‘unexpected miracle’ Zachary Joshua Stellan was born healthy and happy on December 4, weighing 7lb 7oz.
Nicola has spoken of her joy at Zachary’s arrival and sadness ahead of the family’s first Christmas without Joshua.
She said Zachary would be brought up knowing all about his much-loved big brother - and thanked the many thousands of people who have helped the family over their ‘darkest of times’.
Nicola said: “It certainly has been emotional time for us all. 2017 has been a challenging one.
“Losing our beautiful Joshua at the beginning of the year then the unexpected news of an arrival in December.
“Past Christmases, when Joshua was well, he never asked for the abundance of presents most children ask for, but for a brother and sister to look after and play with.
“Although sadly we never fulfilled his wish, life certainly knows how to shock and challenge us as we found out we were unexpectedly expecting Joshua‘s little brother. Joshua should be here to enjoy this special moment with us and be the big brother he always wanted to be.
“But our little miracle Zachary will be loved and cherished just as we loved and cherished his amazing superhero big brother Joshua. Zach is our purpose. Our reason to carry on. We love him so much and he is so precious.”
Nicola chronicled Joshua’s heartbreaking story with care and emotion on Facebook after he was diagnosed with a rare malignant brain tumour in October 2015.
He was dubbed a ‘superhero’ by thousands of people around the world who followed his fight with the disease on social media.
A huge Rochdale fan, the football club named Joshua as a substitute for a cup game with Hartlepool United in November last year and he was even named as the recipient of the football league’s honorary player of the month award for November.
The club formally ‘retired’ his squad number of 55 after his death and have gone on to name a stand after him.
Darth Vader and a collection of stormtroopers led Joshua’s funeral cortege, as many hundreds lined the streets to pay their respects.
Nicola said fundraising for Derian House Children’s Hospice would continue in Joshua’s name and ‘JoshFest’ will be held in Whitworth on May 6 next year, a fun-filled event to raise money for charities on the day before what would have been his seventh birthday.
She added: “The communities of Whitworth and Rochdale have helped us through our darkest of times and we just want to thank everyone so much.
“It was a bittersweet feeling knowing we were having the little brother Joshua always wanted, but also devastating that Joshua wouldn’t be here to love and care for him.
“We miss Joshua and love him so much. The pain deepens with each passing day. But saying that, we will make sure he will always be known to Zachary as his wonderful big brother.”