The family of a “loving” nine-year-old boy who died from cancer are raising money for new playground equipment and memorial in his home town.
Liam Hills, from Brandon, was diagnosed with stage four liver cancer in 2018, at only seven-years-old.
But despite the odds against him and doctors who informed his mum, Sarah Hills, that he may only have months to live, she said her little boy did not stop fighting.
And just over two years later, after countless treatments, chemotherapy, a liver transplant and radio therapy, Liam died at his home, in Mildenhall, on September 2, surrounded by his family.
Ms Hills said: “It’s a parent’s worst nightmare.
“You never think of a cancer diagnosis. When we found out, it hit me like a tonne of bricks. It was a horrible, sinking, can’t be real, feeling.
“But he was a warrior and he fought for two years. We didn’t want to give up but Covid stopped us in our tracks.”
Described as an “old soul” with an amazing amount of empathy for others, Ms Hills said Liam, who grew up in Brandon and attended Forest Academy, was a special little boy who loved his ‘My Singing Monsters’ collectable toys and cuddles with his mum and big sister, 11-year-old Chloe Hills.
And on the day of his funeral, on Wednesday, September 22, she could not believe just how many people came to pay their respects to her son – grid locking the town.
With a parade though Brandon before the service at West Suffolk Crematorium, family members, friends, school mates, teachers, tractors, fire engines, banger cars and lorries filled the roads.
Followed by a special spitfire flyover the crematorium in Bury St Edmunds.
Ms Hill added: “The funeral was hard but it was beautiful. We didn’t expect so many people to turn up.
“It was one hell of a send-off. The people in Brandon genuinely care. We would just like to say a massive thank you to Mark Skinner, from Mark Skinner Funeral Services, to everyone who supported us and for their generosity.”
Now the family are hoping to raise enough money to buy playground equipment and a memorial plaque at Brandon’s Remembrance Filed, for other children to enjoy and a special place to remember Liam.
To donate visit the family’s fundraising page here, https://liamhills.muchloved.com.
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