6 SATURDAY, OCTOBER 28, 2017 LEICESTER MERCURY
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NEWS
16th-minute
applause will
ring out at
King Power
in memory
of brave Shay
Leicester City fans are
planning to fill the King Power
Stadium with rapturous
applause for an inspirational
young supporter who has lost
his battle with cancer.
Shay Bryan died, aged 16, on
October 18 and now the Foxes
faithful are arranging to erupt
in the 16th minute of tomor-
row’s 4pm game against Ever-
ton to commemorate him.
The youngster who lived in
New Parks, Leicester, had a
fourth stage Wilms tumour
which grew into his spine, kid-
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Keen footballer, neys, lungs, pancreas, spleen
and eventually his brain.
passionate City fan He endured 60 rounds of
and loving son, Shay chemotherapy and eight weeks
of radiotherapy. And the hero-
Bryan, who has died, ic football enthusiast did it
while keeping his loveable
aged 16, will be nature and his manners
remembered by the intact, his parents have
said.
Foxes faithful His mum, Rebecca,
tomorrow. JACOB 41, said: “He was
just a perfect son.
JARVIS reports “He was so
kind, every-
body loved
him.
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‘ALL OF THOSE PEOPLE, CHANTING
FOR MY SON’: Leicester City fans are
planning a moving tribute to Shay
Bryan at the King Power tomorrow
“He would always say
thank you to everyone,
even when he was hav-
ing blood transfusions.
“Everyone kept call-
ing him their hero.
“He only cried a couple
of times. He kept us all
strong.”
The teenager went to
Groby College and was
striving to take a ca-
reer linked to foot-
CANCER BATTLE: The
ball as far as he
could.
late Shay Bryan His dad,
Neal, 49,
0116 2103822
Accelerator Winner 2011
said: “He always wanted to play
up top, but who doesn’t at that
age?
“I know he’s my son and I’m
biased, but he was a great little
player.
“He used to kick the ball
through my legs and dribble
past me.
“He wanted to be a football
player and he was pushing
himself to see how far he could
go.
“He was planning to do sports
qualifications at college,”
When Shay wasn’t sharpen-
ing up his shooting skills out-
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SATURDAY, OCTOBER 28, 2017 LEICESTER MERCURY
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side, he was watching the beau-
tiful game or playing FIFA on
his XBox at home.
“All he ever played was FIFA. I
bought him other games but
that’s all he’d play.
“He used to talk about his
world ranking and tell me
where he was,” Neal said as he
fondly reminisced on his son’s
unwavering enthusiasm.
Shay’s favourite City player
was Kasper Schmeichel and
last Christmas he got a visit
from some of his idols when he
was in the teenage cancer ward
at Leicester Royal Infirmary.
❝
He always wanted
to play up top, but
who doesn’t at that age?
I know he’s my son and
I’m biased, but he was a
great little player. He
used to kick the ball
through my legs and
dribble past me
Shay Bryan’s dad, Neal
HEROES: Shay with his favourite Leicester City player Kasper
Schmeichel and, below, with Wes Morgan, Danny Simpson,
Daniel Amartey and Shinji Okazaki
Because of his illness, he
missed out on celebrating
Leicester’s 5,000-1 Premier
League title win. He didn’t get
to go to the parade.
But he dragged himself up to
make sure he could get some
pictures with the City stars
who came to meet him.
Before it took Shay’s short life
away, cancer took sport away
from him too. The tumours
eventually meant that he
couldn’t walk, which obviously
makes netting goals im-
possible.
But, determined striker as he
was, he did kick a ball again,
with the encouragement of his
dad.
Neal described the moment
and the sense of pride he felt for
his young son.
He said: “I went to him, ‘I want
to see you kick a ball again,
mate’.
“And he did, he managed to
hold himself up with crutches
and he did it.”
Neal, who loves football him-
self and has supported
Leicester City all of his life, will
be attending Sunday’s game
with Rebecca and the couple’s
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7
NEWS
A TOUCH OF BLUE
SHAY’S funeral will be held at
11am on Friday, November
17 at Gilroes Cemetery, in
Groby Road, Leicester.
He is set to have a Gucci-
style coffin, his parents said,
as he loved that and other
designer brands.
There will also be blue
heart badges for people who
attend.
This will be followed by a
celebration of Shay’s life. It
will be held at Shay’s beloved
King Power Stadium. The
youngster said it would be
great to have a party there.
His parents have said all of
his friends are welcome at
the service.
They have requested
guests wear “a touch of
blue”.
Collection buckets for
Cancer Research will be out-
side the cemetery chapel.
SHAY was passionate about
supporting Cancer Research
and his parents would like to
encourage people to support
it.
They have said it is what
Shay would have wanted.
“He didn’t think about him-
self,” said mum Rebecca.
For more information on
Cancer Research, phone
0300 123 102, or see:
cancerresearchuk.org
two other children, Kayleigh, “It will upset me because he
18, and Cole, 12. needs to see it and he obviously
When asked about the ap- can’t.
plause in the 16th minute, it be- “All of those people, chanting
comes obvious how much it for my son.”
means to Neal. Shay will never get the chance
As he speaks to the Mercury to lead the line at the King
about Shay, his voice has stayed Power. But tomorrow his fam-
strong, but this has not only
tugged at his heartstrings, it is
ily will get the chance to hear
his name ring out in the ter-
pulling at his vocal chords, too. races.
“I don’t know how I’ll feel if it A hero in his own right,
happens,” he said. “I can’t ex- Shay’s memory will be woven
plain it, I’m welling up now.
“Just to know if Shay could
into club folklore by his fellow
supporters. It wasn’t as a play-
see what was happening – he’d er, but nonetheless, the fans
just love it. knew and loved him.