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Prince & Princess of Wales

Duchess of Cambridge saddened by news of young patient's death

<![CDATA[The Duchess of Cambridge was saddened to learn of the passing of Fabian Bate, a 12-year-old who lost his battle with leukaemia.
After meeting Fabian in 2011, when Kate and Prince William visited Royal Marsden Hospital, The Duchess wrote to the young man.
In her letter, Kate told Fabian that: “Despite your enormous, demanding course of treatment, I was so touched by your strength of character and delighted to hear the news that one of your big sisters will be able to donate bone marrow to you later this year. This must be a troubling time for you, your parents and sisters, but I left the Royal Marsden assured by how incredibly talented, kind and clever the team are.”
The boy’s father Darrell commented: “I want Kate to know it wasn’t just a letter, it was a message that meant so much. It has stayed with him and it’s staying with him now he’s departed. It is the only one in the world, it has that uniqueness – it is very personal and special.”
He continued: “It was synonymous with what Fabian went through, he would not have got it otherwise. It would be amazing to think that Kate and William knew that the letter she wrote three years ago is now sitting next to his body at rest.”
A spokesperson for the William and Catherine commented: “The Duke and Duchess are sad to hear the news and their thoughts are with Fabian’s family.”
In 2006, Fabian was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia in 2006 and went through years of arduous treatment to battle the disease.
A trust fund call Faith4Fabian to support other families dealing with childhood cancer has been set up by his family.
The Duke of Cambridge is the President of The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust, a post that he has held since 2007. He took over from his mother who held the position for eight years, from 1989 until her untimely death in 1997.
Featured Photo Credit: Beacon via photopin cc]]>