Family and friends have paid tribute to a brave Shrewsbury Town fan who has died from cancer, aged 21.
Ed Mainwaring, from Meole Brace, passed away at the Royal Hallamshire Hospital in Sheffield on Sunday following a battle with lymphatic cancer. He was due to hold a charity fundraising event on May 21 to raise money for the people who helped him during his illness, but this has now been postponed.
On the day he died, his sister Hannah, 19, completed a half marathon in Sheffield in aid of Leukaemia and Lymphoma Research.
Ed and Hannah’s mother, Carol, said: “It was very poignant, Hannah completed the race, got her medal and rushed back to the hospital to see Ed just before he passed away. We are all devastated by Ed’s death but he was a true inspiration and was really brave and positive right up until the end.”
Donations on Hannah’s justgiving fundraising page have now rocketed thanks to help from friends and family.
Ed, who was studying history at Sheffield university, was a keen Shrewsbury Town fan and went to many away matches while at university. He was diagnosed with lymphatic cancer in August last year. He underwent chemotherapy in Sheffield and in January test results showed he was on the mend.
He had been arranging a charity fundraiser at the Bagley Bowling Club in Shrewsbury but a few weeks ago his cancer returned. Mrs Mainwaring said she would continue to raise funds in Ed’s memory. “When his illness returned we said we would postpone the fundraiser, not cancel it. We will continue this promise and look to arrange something in the autumn.”
Tributes to Ed from friends have flooded onto Facebook. One said: “I’ll miss your positive attitude, your wit and your humour. Never a bad bone in your body, and never a bad word to say. It is a shame that it was such a brief time that I’d known you, but in that time you have made a massive impact on my life and many others.”
Messages on Shrewsbury Town fan site Blue and Amber have also paid tribute to the keen Shrewsbury fan.
by Catherine Ferris