Harry Kane posts touching tribute to England mascot, six, after he dies almost a year after he was given his own World Cup for bravery during brain cancer battle
- Ben Williams was hailed as ‘an inspiration’ when he underwent radiotherapy
- He was diagnosed with brain cancer just after his fifth birthday in April last year
- Ben led England team onto pitch for match v Spain at Wembley last September
- But Ben has now died aged six – and Kane said it was an ‘honour’ to have met him
England captain Harry Kane has paid tribute to a young football mascot who has died aged six following a battle with brain cancer.
Ben Williams had been hailed by the 25-year-old Tottenham Hotspur star as ‘an inspiration’ while the little boy underwent radiotherapy to treat his tumour.
He was diagnosed with what his grandfather described as the most deadly form of brain cancer just after his fifth birthday in April last year.
Ben Williams joined footballer Harry Kane when he led the England team onto the pitch for a Uefa Nations League match against Spain at Wembley last September
Kane was ‘very sad’ to hear of Ben’s death and will be supporting charity fundraising efforts
Now his family have revealed that Ben, who led the England team onto the pitch for a Uefa Nations League match against Spain at Wembley last September, died in May.
Kane tweeted today: ‘Very sad to hear that Ben Williams passed away recently. It was an honour to have met him at the Spain game and shared a special moment with the golden boot. My thoughts are with his family.’
Kane stands with Ben before England v Spain
He added: ‘I understand Ben’s family and a group of friends are riding from Edinburgh to John O’Groats to raise money for relevant and worthy causes in Ben’s memory. I’ll be helping them reach their target.’
Ben could not walk or talk before his treatment last summer but asked for the World Cup as his speech returned.
His paediatric radiographer at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham shared a video of Ben receiving a replica World Cup trophy in July 2018.
Kane replied to the tweet, pledging to do everything they could to win their next match and ‘keep a smile on your face’.
His family are now fundraising for the Acorns Children’s Hospice Trust which they said had given them ‘superb help’.
Ben’s paediatric radiographer at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham shared a video of the boy receiving a replica World Cup trophy in July 2018
Ben, who died in May, was described by his family as ‘funny, sharp, adventurous’ and loving
Ben’s grandfather Hugh, writing on a gofundme page said: ‘When it came to the end, we do not know how we could have carried on without the immaculate professionalism, expertise and comfort that the Acorns staff provided.
‘While everyone around Ben didn’t know what to do, they quietly and unobtrusively did, and made the unbearable a little less of a tragedy.’
He described Ben as a ‘funny, sharp, adventurous’ and loving.
On Friday a tweet from the England account read: ‘Last September, we were proud to be led out by five-year-old Ben Williams.
‘It’s with immense sadness that we’ve learned he recently passed away. Ben’s family are now raising money in his memory for @AcornsHospice – please support them if you can.’
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