Death, the scriptures say, is the only truth of life. They also say that it isn’t wise to mourn someone who has passed away since it is only the body that dies, while the soul lives forever. But, honestly, how can one be expected to stay wise when something like death presents itself?
Bradley Lowery, for those of you who are still not aware, was a Sunderland fan who was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer, neuroblastoma, at just 18 months. He, however, fought the disease valiantly, but succumbed to it on July 7, 2017.
He regularly appeared as a mascot in many of the club’s games last season. During his time as a mascot, he struck a great friendship with the then-Sunderland striker, Jermain Defoe, who did his best to support his little pal.
The now-Bournemouth forward couldn’t hold back his tears at Bradley’s funeral. How could he? Looking at the child’s picture itself makes my eyes wet – and Defoe actually shared a special bond with him. At the end of the day, Bradley is no longer in pain and rests in peace, but we continue to mourn his death because, perhaps, a part of us just died along with him – a part that he created with his bravery and heart-warming smile.
As the funeral is now done and dusted, here are some of the reactions on Twitter.
Sunderland took to Twitter to share their thoughts...
A lot of people turned up to pay their respects...
This is a great initiative...
Fans of different clubs also joined in...
Some of the tweets in honour of the young warrior...
This was just too touching...
I will conclude this piece with lines from Ne Obliviscaris’ track, Forget Not...
what waits beyond in exile's garden sings of the unknownthe renaissance of death echoes eternally, all's not lostdeath echoesdeath echoesforget not..for those gone...forget notNEVER.
We shall not forget you, Bradley. Never. Rest in peace, little warrior.
