Bournemouth striker Jermain Defoe has dedicated his OBE award to Bradley Lowery
Bradley died in July 2017 after battling childhood cancer, neuroblastoma. During the final months of his life, the youngster – a Sunderland supporter – befriended Defoe, who played for the club between 2015 and 2017.
Defoe has been honoured for his work with The Jermain Defoe Foundation, the charity he established in 2013. The foundation was set up to support homeless, vulnerable and abused children St Lucia, the Caribbean island where his grandparents are from. In the time since, the charity has expanded to help children in surrounding Caribbean islands and in the UK.
Shortly after the news of his OBE was confirmed, Defoe posted a message to social media in which he dedicated the award to Bradley and his family, adding that he’d ‘trade it all’ for the youngster to still be alive.
‘The proudest moment of my life to be awarded an OBE,’ the former England international’s message reads. ‘I’m blessed to have received the honour, but this isn’t for me or about me. It’s for Bradley and those he loved.
‘I’d trade it all for him to be back in our lives, forget the goals and awards, it’s the memories I’ll cherish…’
The proudest moment of my life to be awarded an OBE. I‘m blessed to have received the honour, but it isn’t for me or about me. It’s for Bradley and those he loved. I’d trade it all for him to be back in our lives, forget the goals and awards, it’s the memories I’ll cherish…💙 pic.twitter.com/Dcxua0t7bC
— Jermain Defoe OBE (@IAmJermainDefoe) June 8, 2018
