<![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]]>
