Heartbreaking and tragic. I cannot begin to understand the heartbreak that Bradley's parents are going through. From what I have seen through the media, he is an absolute diamond of a little boy.. life is so cruel.. I have nothing but respect for JD for the way that he has been there from the beginning xx
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Jermaine Defoe
- Thread starter Hillian1
- Start date
warmleyseagull
Well-known member
Our son died in January of skin cancer. He was 28, and the death of someone well before their time is difficult to comprehend.
Mark at least had the benefit of a childhood, he had time to qualify as a doctor and write a moving blog on https://wrestlingmelanoma.com. He raised £185k for CRUK, and his fund - https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/mark-sims5 - still goes on.
Bradley's and Jermaine's story is just as moving; a lad who made the best of the time he had and a young man who provided support at the right time. It is touching, and puts our own lives in perspective. Just makes us realise that worrying about strikers for next season is maybe less important than it might seem.
We shall not cure cancer in our lifetimes. It is an insidious condition that affects different people in different ways at different times. There are 250 different cancers. 1 in 2 of us will get it, which means that we shall all shed tears for ourselves or for a loved one, or most likely both, at some time in our lives.
I have cried many times for Mark, and still do. We shall never get over it, and nor will Bradley's family. It just seems so unfair. Mark once collapsed into my arms crying that it was so pointless for him to die. Bradley probably didn't understand the implications of his illness, which in a way is a blessing, in another way a deeper tragedy.
I salute JD as someone who could bring some joy and fulfilment into Bradley's short life. Maybe we can all just stop for a minute and offer our respect and gratitude for the goodness of the human condition.
Mark at least had the benefit of a childhood, he had time to qualify as a doctor and write a moving blog on https://wrestlingmelanoma.com. He raised £185k for CRUK, and his fund - https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/mark-sims5 - still goes on.
Bradley's and Jermaine's story is just as moving; a lad who made the best of the time he had and a young man who provided support at the right time. It is touching, and puts our own lives in perspective. Just makes us realise that worrying about strikers for next season is maybe less important than it might seem.
We shall not cure cancer in our lifetimes. It is an insidious condition that affects different people in different ways at different times. There are 250 different cancers. 1 in 2 of us will get it, which means that we shall all shed tears for ourselves or for a loved one, or most likely both, at some time in our lives.
I have cried many times for Mark, and still do. We shall never get over it, and nor will Bradley's family. It just seems so unfair. Mark once collapsed into my arms crying that it was so pointless for him to die. Bradley probably didn't understand the implications of his illness, which in a way is a blessing, in another way a deeper tragedy.
I salute JD as someone who could bring some joy and fulfilment into Bradley's short life. Maybe we can all just stop for a minute and offer our respect and gratitude for the goodness of the human condition.
I just hope that JD gets the recognition that he deserves in the new years honours list. His selfless approach to this unfolding tragedy is an inspiration to us all.
robinsonsgrin
Well-known member
sorry to hear of your loss x
Pogue Mahone
Well-known member
- Apr 30, 2011
- 10,744
Bloody Hell, mate, I am so sorry for your loss. I have two sons, 20 and 18, and this has really hit me.
Stay strong, fella, and RIP Mark. He sounds like a really good one.
pishhead
Well-known member
What an absolutely heart wrenching post. As you say it really does put all the trivialities that we post on a daily basis into perspective.
vegster
Sanity Clause
- May 5, 2008
- 27,894
By the sound of things an award of any kind is the last thing on Jermaine Dafoe's mind. He has made a connection with poor Bradley that is it's own reward. He,and those who have followed the story of Bradley's life now know how lucky and precious life is and how it should be appreciated.
B-right-on
Living the dream
This. Defoe had an 'excuse' to not go being in Bmuff but flies up undoubdably at his own expense to say goodbye.
Definitely deserve a round of applause from the Amex.
D
Deleted member 2719
Guest
Defoe is "the little giant", what a man.
I don't because it will open up a whole can of worms. We know Defoe is doing what he's doing because he has genuine compassion and love for Bradley. He may have earned our respect and admiration but he certainly wasn't looking for it, he is doing it for totally selfless reasons. If you throw some New Years honour into the mix you'll start getting all sorts of celebrities latching on to terminally ill children for purely self serving and selfish reasons. These children don't need parasites with ulterior motives attaching themselves to them in their short lives. They need people with genuine altruistic reasons for wanting to be there for them. They need the genuine love and warmth of people who genuinly care for them like Defoe does with Bradley. I think an honour would taint their whole relationship. You shouldn't receive an honour for behaving like a decent human being, it should be expected and I'm sure an honour or award is the last thing Defoe would want. I think it would embarass him.
bravohotelalpha
Well-known member
The expense is peanuts to JD. But JD has given his time to Bradley and became a part of Bradley's tragic journey, sharing the unbearable heartache when he did not have to. Total respect.
GT49er
Well-known member
Defoe is one of the few players I wouldn't resent paying £20M over three years for. Definitely the sort of man I'd like to see in our team. Wouldn't have been a bad move on footballing grounds either. Oh well, he's gone to B'muff, not us.
Our loss, their gain. Move on. Heartfelt feelings to little Bradley and his family though.
Our loss, their gain. Move on. Heartfelt feelings to little Bradley and his family though.
This takes me back to when I was a kid.
I had a serious illness. Not that young. I was in between 2nd and 3rd year at secondary school . So about 12 years old at the time. When I was in hospital and off school for a long time, my mother arranged for my football hero to come visit me in hospital. That hero was Peter Marinello
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/fo...-George-Best-lost-ended-stranded-Butlins.html
https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=p...pHYBw#imgrc=FNrewNQOlmCJdM:&spf=1498953285455
He visited me in hospital. Not all the time like Jermaine has done with Bradley only a short 20 minute visit but for sure, I am in my 50s now and what that guy did for a 12 year old could buy is worth it's weight in gold and it lives with me still.
It was the best 20 minutes of my life at the time and whilst its not the best 20 of my life now, I know for sure it is one of the best 20 minutes even now 40 years down the line.
I guarantee young Bradley is a happy young lad and for me I look at Jermaine Defoe and think ''Yeh it makes you happy to bring joy to a young lad but you couldn't even imagine what joy you bring to him'' I can't begin to express what admiration I feel for Jermaine AND he supports th ''Happy Soul Festival'' another Charity. The guy is a true ''Gentleman'' for making Bradley feel so comfortable that he is all too willing to wrap his arms around him at every opportunity.
Peter Marinello and Jermaine Defoe...................Small things have MASSIVE results and I leave it at that !
I had a serious illness. Not that young. I was in between 2nd and 3rd year at secondary school . So about 12 years old at the time. When I was in hospital and off school for a long time, my mother arranged for my football hero to come visit me in hospital. That hero was Peter Marinello
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/fo...-George-Best-lost-ended-stranded-Butlins.html
https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=p...pHYBw#imgrc=FNrewNQOlmCJdM:&spf=1498953285455
He visited me in hospital. Not all the time like Jermaine has done with Bradley only a short 20 minute visit but for sure, I am in my 50s now and what that guy did for a 12 year old could buy is worth it's weight in gold and it lives with me still.
It was the best 20 minutes of my life at the time and whilst its not the best 20 of my life now, I know for sure it is one of the best 20 minutes even now 40 years down the line.
I guarantee young Bradley is a happy young lad and for me I look at Jermaine Defoe and think ''Yeh it makes you happy to bring joy to a young lad but you couldn't even imagine what joy you bring to him'' I can't begin to express what admiration I feel for Jermaine AND he supports th ''Happy Soul Festival'' another Charity. The guy is a true ''Gentleman'' for making Bradley feel so comfortable that he is all too willing to wrap his arms around him at every opportunity.
Peter Marinello and Jermaine Defoe...................Small things have MASSIVE results and I leave it at that !
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Opposite for me .
Largely has kept out the news . Done loads of good things with his status . Had loads of personal tragedy and seems a proper decent bloke.
On a footballing level , can't knock his record and 1/3 for England . Deserved more caps and should of been the main man .
Top bloke
Jermaine Defoe comes across as very fine human being. I would feel very humbled to ever tell him to his face.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/40524081
Nothing but respect for Defoe, you can see how much Bradley has come to mean to him through all this.
According to Bradley's family, he is now no longer responsive although they believe he can still hear them.
Nothing but respect for Defoe, you can see how much Bradley has come to mean to him through all this.
According to Bradley's family, he is now no longer responsive although they believe he can still hear them.
The first time Jermaine Defoe came to my attention outside of his role as a footballer was about 10 years ago when he was on a "A Million Pound Place in the Sun" which was a high end version of the tv property programme "A Place in the Sun" where they devote each episode to people (usually a couple) looking to buy a property abroad, Spain in this case. Although Defoe was one half of the featured couple he was notable by his absence even though it was obviously his money that was going to pay for the multi million pound property. The whole programme featured his wag girlfriend of the time accompanied by her mother looking round a variety of properties and trying to decide which one they wanted to buy with JD's money. The programme was interspersed with the wag girlfriend enthusiastically phoning JD telling him how fantastic the property was she and her mum had set their hearts on and he should come out to see it. The lack of interest or enthusiasm shown by JD when he was on the phone to her was obvious and he was coming up with excuses to avoid having to go out there himself and told her if it was what she wanted he'd trust her judgement. We were watching the whole programme green with envy that this girl could just have this multi million pound property handed to her on a plate without having to work for it or even pay for it by simple virtue of her WAG status. The programme ended with her presumably getting her dream house. I was seething by this point. Then as the closing credits rolled there was a voiceover, "Since the making of this programme Jermaine Defoe and (wag girlfriend) are no longer together so they didn't get to buy their dream property". TV Gold. The clues were there all through the programme but I didn't see that coming. Another highlight of the programme was when the WAG commented on the "funny wallpaper" in one property before being told by the bemused presenter that it wasn't wallpaper it was marble. As a result of that programme Defoe had already risen in my estimation.
wakeytom
New member
What he has done is legendary when we question footballers these days. However got grit in my eyes I think tonight reading what is going on with big Brad