HE WAS A SMILING WARRIOR
Tributes to brave Nathaniel
EXCLUSIVE NATHANIEL Nabena’s parents have paid a moving tribute to their “smiling warrior” after he lost his epic battle for life.
The 10-year-old had been doing well following a Sunday People campaign to raise money for his cancer treatment.
Readers and celebs including Simon Cowell and David Walliams gave £216,000 after he was deemed ineligible for Nhs-funded care.
Nathaniel was declared cancer-free a year ago but caught an infection last month and died on August 19.
Dad Ebi said: “It came suddenly. His body had been through so much. Yet he was smiling all the way through this, he was full of life. He was so strong, despite all that he went through.”
Ebi, 46, and wife Modupe, 39, from Croydon, south London, who also have daughters Nadia and Nicole, said they cannot imagine a future without their “irreplaceable” boy.
Ebi said: “We are so thankful that Nathaniel got two extra birthdays – his birthday is February 14, the day of love – and one more Christmas. That is a very big thing for a child.
Proud
“We want to say thank you to the Sunday People, to the hospital staff, to Simon and David, and to the British public for helping to give him this.
“It means so much. The support allowed him to go beyond what anybody ever thought was possible.”
Modupe added: “He was my smiling warrior. We are so proud of everything he did in his 10 years.”
Nathaniel travelled from Bayelsa, Nigeria, to have a prosthetic eye fitted in November 2020 after losing his left one to a rare tumour known as myeloid sarcoma. While here, he was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukaemia and given just weeks to live without treatment. But as a non-eu patient, he did not qualify for care at Great Ormond Street Hospital. After we revealed their plight in February 2021, readers and celebs rallied to raise £87,000 for conditioning treatment, then £216,000 for a stem cell transplant.
Days before private treatment was due to start, an application to stay in the UK on compassionate grounds was accepted for processing, meaning he became eligible for NHS care while awaiting a Home Office ruling. Nathaniel had his stem cell transplant in June 2021. Last September, we shared images of the heartwarming moment he rang the bell at GOSH to celebrate being in remission. Earlier this year he battled an infection and had further surgery and chemo. He died at Croydon University Hospital following another infection. Talks will happen in the coming weeks to set up a foundation in his memory. Ebi said: “We want people to remember Nathaniel as a smiling champion.” feedback@people.co.uk