HEARTBREAKING
A GRIEVING family heartbroken by the loss of a young boy have inspired a special tribute from the Duchess of Cambridge.
Kate, 38, was so moved by the tragic life of nine-year-old Fraser Delf that she gave a sunflower in his memory.
The blooms are the symbol of hospice care and was the favourite of Fraser, who suffered a rare genetic condition and died in January.
His mum Carla, 37, said: “I’m speechless. We are very touched as a family that she has done this and will be going to see Fraser’s sunflower when we can.
“Fraser was always quite girly, and he would have loved to have known a princess was planting a flower for him. He would be very honoured.”
Kate, who re-potted the plant, took it to The Nook, near Norwich, which is one of East Anglia Children’s Hospices.
There the duchess, a patron of Each, helped create a new garden.
The green-fingered mum of three, wearing a £180 floral midi-dress and £135 shoes, arrived with plants, fruit trees and herbs bought at a local garden centre and mucked in.
She chatted to families who use Each services and revealed George, six, Charlotte, five, and Louis, two, were competing with each other over the flowers.
She said: “The children are really enjoying growing their sunflowers,
Louis’s is winning so
George is a little grumpy about that.”
Kate and the Duchess of Cornwall, 72, met
Fraser’s parents Carla and Stuart and brother Stuie, 13, on a video call to mark Children’s Hospice Week, which ends today.
Fraser spent his final seven weeks at Each in Milton, Cambs, and Carla said: “Telling them about Fraser brought up mixed emotions. We call him our shining star.” Her little boy opened his eyes for the last time to see his parents renew their wedding vows, eight days before his death.
The Royals congratulated Stuie, who has raised £18,000 for the hospice by running 5km every day in May. He was inspired by Captain Sir Tom Moore, who raised £33million for the NHS by walking 100 laps of his garden before his
100th birthday.
Awful
Stuie said: “Fraser was my best friend. He was always a happy, bright child. We used to play in the garden with water, he loved it.” Workers at the hospice went “above and beyond” to support the Delfs. Teaching assistant Carla said: “Staff didn’t just care for him – they cooked and washed for us – allowing us to be Fraser’s parents full-time for the last time.”
They even arranged for Carla and engineer Stuart, 42, to renew their vows in Fraser’s room. The couple married ten years ago but said Carla: “Fraser never understood why he was the only one not in our wedding photos.
“I mentioned this in passing to a nurse, and within 48 hours they arranged a vicar to come and do a blessing, hair and makeup for me, a photographer, buffet and cake.
“It was incredibly special and emotional. We wore clothes with stars on, because Fraser loved stars.”
Fraser was born at 27 weeks, weighing just 1lb 7oz, and spent his first three months in a special care unit. An MRI scan in 2015 showed he had calcium on his brain. Carla and Stuart were told Fraser would eventually lose his mobility.
Carla said: “It sounds awful now, but I was convinced I wouldn’t have Fraser past the age of ten.”
On a flight back from Florida in April 2018 he collapsed after a huge nosebleed. Medics stabilised him, but a week later he vomited blood and was rushed to hospital.
He was diagnosed with es