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| Bradley Lowery dead: Mother of terminally ill child confirms his passing 'surrounded by family' | Bradley Lowery dead: Mother of terminally ill child confirms his passing 'surrounded by family' |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| Bradley Lowery, a six-year-old boy fighting a rare form of cancer, has died, his family has confirmed. | Bradley Lowery, a six-year-old boy fighting a rare form of cancer, has died, his family has confirmed. |
| The boy captured the hearts of thousands as his parents documented his battle with neuroblastoma – a rare form of cancer which primarily affects children. | The boy captured the hearts of thousands as his parents documented his battle with neuroblastoma – a rare form of cancer which primarily affects children. |
| In a statement on his Facebook page, his family wrote: "My brave boy has went with the angels today 07/07/17 at 13:35, in mammy and daddies arms surrounded by his family (sic). | |
| "He was our little superhero and put the biggest fight up but he was needed else where.There are no words to describe how heart broken we are. | "He was our little superhero and put the biggest fight up but he was needed else where.There are no words to describe how heart broken we are. |
| "Thank you everyone for all your support and kind words. Sleep tight baby boy and fly high with them angels." | |
| Bradley, from Blackhall Colliery in County Durham, was first diagnosed when he was just 18 months old and fought the cancer for two years before going into remission. | |
| But in July 2016 his family received the devastating news that the cancer had returned and began campaigning to raise money for treatment abroad. | |
| Unfortunately Bradley's condition deteriorated beyond the point of a cure but not before he captured the hearts of thousands – particularly due to his friendship with then Sunderland striker Jermain Defoe. | |
| Defoe, who has now moved to Bournemouth FC, became Bradley's "best friend" and would frequently visit him in hospital along with other Sunderland players. | |
| Bradley, who is a big fan of the football club, got the chance to act as a mascot and walk out on the pitch with Defore at an England game earlier this year. | |
| On Thursday evening, Bradley's parents said he had become "unresponsive" but was still listening to everything they said. | |
| Speaking at a press conference earlier that day, Defoe broke down in tears when asked about Bradley saying he "only has a matter of days" but "will always be in my heart for the rest of my life". | |
| He said: "It has been hard because I've been keeping this in for so long, trying to be strong for my family and his family. | |
| "I don't really know how to put into words how I feel. It has been a special time having that relationship with Brad. | |
| "I speak to the family every day, I was with them a few days ago and it was tough to see him suffer like that. | |
| "I felt I was prepared for it after what I went through with my dad but it was so tough to see a kid of that age who has been going through this for so long and got to the stage where he is obviously struggling.” |