Portsmouth mother to mark one-year anniversary of 'warrior son', Chris Cole's death after he died aged 30

The special day will mark a year on from Chris Cole’s death after he died aged 30 from a rare form of bowel disease.

Trooper Chris was diagnosed with Hirschsprung’s disease aged 12 - and following a lifelong battle - died on February 12, 2021.

For the majority of his life, Chris was in and out of hospital with the life-limiting condition and underwent more than 170 operations at 25 different hospitals.

However, that didn’t stop him from living his life to the full, playing football with his friends and achieving GCSEs in hospital despite constant setbacks due to ill-health. He was even scouted to play for West Ham United aged 11, but was too ill to follow through with the training.

Mum, Sylvia, is now welcoming the faces of all he knew, whether that was through football, friends he made in hospital or at the place he was ‘King’ at Portsmouth Guildhall, to join her on remembering Chris at his resting place at Milton Cemetery.

Sylvia invites all who knew Chris to go on to the Good Companion pub between 3pm and 5pm at Eastern Road to raise a toast to his life.

She said: ‘Chris will never be forgotten and he’ll always be loved.

‘He was so well liked and never upset anyone – he was such a credit to everyone.

‘I did 31 years of hospitals with him. I was with him every day at the hospital so it's just really hard.

‘I always taught him that it doesn’t matter what’s going on inside, as long as you look good on the outside – because that gave him confidence.

‘He never looked like he was a patient.’

Chris had 74 bowel operations, spent countless times in intensive care, as well as multiple organ transplant rejections.

‘I just want people to understand he's a warrior and he's always going to be missed and loved by so many.

‘I'm at the grave four times a day looking after him,’ Sylvia said.

Chris will be dearly missed by many, including Sylvia, father Dave, step-dad Kev, step-mum Emma, and siblings Benji, Josie, Sebastian, Thomas, Anthony, Logan, Chloe and step-brother Alfie, and nephew Cameron.

A message from the Editor, Mark Waldron

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