England defender John Stones has dedicated Sunday night’s win over Slovakia to Dillan Ramsey-Aksehir, who sadly died during the Euro 2024 match.
The Three Lions managed a last-gasp victory in the round of 16 opponents to secure a spot in the quarter-finals against Switzerland, but while Stones and co. were representing their country, the family of five-year-old Dillan Ramsey-Aksehir were sadly in mourning after his tragic passing.
Having first been diagnosed with blood cancer back in 2020, fundraising for the “special little boy” from Manchester captured the attention of the nation, with countless names like Stones donating and raising awareness around his GoFundMe, which has amassed over £650,000 to date.
Unfortunately, the leukaemia returned for a fourth time this February following a bone marrow transplant and mum Amy Ramsey confirmed he passed away at 6:15pm while most eyes were fixed on the England game. Learning of the news shortly after, the Yorkshireman wasted no time in dedicating the win in his name.
As you can see, the Barnsley-born centre-back wrote: “Tonight was for Dillan. A special little boy that touched mine and my family’s hearts. He’s an inspiration to us all.
“Rest in peace little fighter, our thoughts are with his family during this unimaginably difficult time.”
The heartfelt gesture which has no doubt been felt throughout the England camp was met with warm applause back home, with people replying, “Absolute class”, “Thank you for all you and your family did to try [and] help Dilly” and one person adding: “What football is all about.” We couldn’t agree more.
As for mum Amy, she posted the gut-wrenching news on Instagram along with a tear-jerking picture of her ever-smiling child, assuring that “he wasn’t in pain and was still talking and making us laugh until he took his last breath.”
Sharing an update on Monday, she said: “I would like to honour Dilly in the best way possible, but also in a sensible way. We would really like to take some time away, take his ashes somewhere nice and make up for lost time with the girls. Possibly pay some rent in advance for a while to relieve the stress of this…
“If you can help take some of the stress away so that we can keep things as they are and pay off the bills it would be a huge help.”
Read more:
- Leeds Academy raise nearly £4k for children’s charity in Dragon Boat Race
- Yorkshire beer created to honour Rob Burrow raises £20k for charity
- Harry Kane praised for ‘classy’ response after pundits dig out England
The comments are as emotional and full of love as you would expect, with countless parents offering their condolences and everyone uniting in labelling “the bravest boy” and an “inspiration.”
Our thoughts are with all of his loved ones during this unimaginable time and we sincerely hope his story can serve as added motivation for Stones and the rest of the England squad to go far in honour of Dillan and his memory.
Most importantly, the fundraiser set up by his family is still active if you want to show your support and donate to the page by helping put money towards funeral arrangements.
Rest in peace, Dilly x
Featured Images — GoFundMe/John Stones/Amy Ramsey (via Instagram)
