Huntingdon family return to spot where Duchess of Cambridge planted a sunflower in memory of their son
Sunflower planted in memory of a nine-year-old boy from Huntingdon by The Duchess of Cambridge had a special visit from his family to see it in full bloom. Picture: FAMILY - Credit: Archant
A sunflower planted in memory of a nine-year-old boy from Huntingdon by The Duchess of Cambridge his now in full bloom.
The Duchess promised to arrange the tribute in memory of Fraser Delf, who died in January of Coats plus syndrome, during a video call with his family last month.
The sunflower was planted on June 25 at the East Anglia’s Children’s Hospice’s (EACH) new Norfolk hospice, The Nook, which was opened by The Duchess in November.
EACH, in keeping with the family’s wishes, moved the sunflower to its hospice in Milton, Cambridgeshire, where Fraser spent the final weeks of his life, and planted it in the grounds.
The family visited and saw the sunflower, now in full bloom, for the first time on July 31.
Fraser’s mum Carla said: “The sunflower looks so bright and beautiful, just like Fraser. The centre looks like a heart shape, just perfect.
“I recently saw a poem that said sunflowers choose to live their brightest lives as they know they won’t be around for long and that really fits with Fraser.”
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The Delfs were first introduced to EACH in October 2018, with the charity helping to manage great pain Fraser would experience as a result of his condition.
By November 2019 Fraser was deteriorating rapidly and the family moved to EACH’s hospice in Milton, believing they only had days left to spend together.
Fraser managed to defeat the odds, lasting seven weeks, before he died on January 17, 2020.
With support from EACH staff, the family made many lasting memories in their time at the hospice.
To show their appreciation, Fraser’s brother Stuie ran 5k every day throughout May, with his endeavours raising more than £16,300 for EACH over lockdown.
Aside from being congratulated by The Duchess of Cambridge - as well as Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Cornwall during the same video call - Stuie also received a video message of congratulations from Captain Sir Tom Moore, whose fundraising efforts helped inspire him.