Give Abdulsalam a proper resting place

My name is Angie, and I’m fundraising for the family of Abdulsalam Ayodeji Abdulkareem.

The 15th June 2023 started out like any other day for me and my partner; we went to work, cooked and ate dinner, watched some TV and, as it was a hot night, went to bed with the window open.

Around 3.30a.m., we woke up to hear the most heart-wrenching sound of all – a mother crying for help. My partner immediately ran to the window to see, illuminated under a street lamp, the silhouette of a woman standing on the pavement across the road holding her young child limp in her arms. She was calling out for somebody to help and asking for a car and, at this point, two things were clear to us; nobody was helping them, but we could.

Still in our pyjamas, we bundled the child, his brother, his mum and another one of our neighbours into my car. When I looked in the rear view mirror I recognised the woman to be our neighbour Sofiyat with her 8 year old son, Abdulsalam.

Sofiyat only moved to Wales from Nigeria in September 2022, and her family followed behind, arriving in April 2023. They were finding their feet as a family in a new place where they barely knew anybody.

Sofiyat told me that she had taken Abdulsalam to the GP a few days prior, where she was told he had a viral infection and to give him paracetamol. When she put him to bed on the 15th June she noticed he had some swelling and fluid behind his ears, and, concerned for his welfare, she checked on him at several points throughout the night. Unbeknownst to Sofiyat, the next time she would go and check on him she would find him unresponsive and unable to breathe.

Believing it to be the emergency medical line, Sofiyat called 111 for an ambulance. In her panic, she struggled to communicate the emergency to the operator, which is when she decided to run outside and call for help instead.

The first responders at A&E were incredible and immediately took Abdulsalam into their care. He was taken to Bristol to a specialist but, unfortunately, Abdusalam had developed Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia and did not wake up from the coma he had slipped into. Abdulsalam, an active and lively boy with a beautiful smile, sadly passed away of this rare illness on the 16th June 2023.

We’ve decided to set up a go fund me to support Sofiyat and her family. They don’t have a support system in this country and the costs associated with Abdulsalam’s funeral have taken a toll on the family, and we would love for them to not have to worry about money at this difficult time.

Every small donation will make a huge difference and will mean they can give their son the burial place he deserves, so if you can spare any money at all please donate. Thank you so much in advance.