By: India-West Staff Reporter
JERSEY CITY, New Jersey – A nine-year-old boy suffering from cancer, who had been honored with a parade organized by Jersey City police, succumbed to his illness Oct. 22.
Funeral services were held Oct. 25 morning for Parth Patel, an Indian American resident of Jersey City who had been suffering from Ewings sarcoma, a rare bone cancer, for two years. Parth leaves behind his father Sunil, mother Parul, and an elder sister Hileri.
Patel, a fourth grader at Alfred Zampella School in Jersey City, is the grandson of Rajnikat Patel and Sushila Patel. He had many aunts and uncles, and was receiving home hospice care at the time of his death.
“A beautiful life that came to an end, he died as he lived, everyone’s friend,” Hileri Patel said on her Facebook page. “In our hearts a memory will always be kept, of one we loved and will never forget.”
“We all love this little superhero but we lost him when we weren’t ready,” said Hileri Patel.
Sunil and Parul Patel could not be reached for comment.
Three days before he died, more than 100 volunteers from the Jersey City Police Department, along with the fire department and EMTs, honored Parth with a special parade. Dressed in a police uniform bearing his name, Parth rode in a Batmobile with Batman, as superheroes along the parade route waved to him.
“He’s a child. You could only wish he gets better,” Jersey City police officer Melissa Sarmiento told CBS New York. “We can only pray for him and hope things work out.”
Parth Patel received the keys to the city. The parade route ended at his school, where he was celebrated with a pizza party.
According to his teachers, Parth loved to go to school but could only attend for an hour each day, because of his illness. One teacher, Kelly Lomax, called Patel her superhero. “He just taught me about life and about being courageous and brave,” she told CBS New York.
During the parade, the beaming little boy – bearing an oxygen tank – continuously thanked everyone along the route. “Thank you to everybody for supporting me,” he said.
Minal Badami, a friend the family, has created a gofundme page in memory of Parth, to help with funeral costs and medical bills. The fund has raised about $2,700 of the $25,000 goal.
“Thank you Jersey City for all your support and making (Parth’s) wish come true! The memories from this event will be forever in Parth’s heart and his family is eternally grateful,” wrote Badami.
