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Teenage West Ham United Player Passes Away After Courageous Battle with Cancer

West Ham sporting director Mark Noble has announced the heartbreaking news that the club's Under-15s goalkeeper, Oscar Fairs, has tragically passed away after a courageous fight against cancer.
Anna Ciao
By: Anna Ciao
West Ham United's Under-15s goalkeeper Oscar Fairs has tragically died.

West Ham have announced with deep sorrow that their academy goalkeeper, Oscar Fairs, has passed away at the age of 15 after a courageous battle with cancer.

Fairs was diagnosed with an ependymoma, a rare tumor affecting the brain or spinal cord, in August 2023. Initially misdiagnosed with mental health issues and migraines after experiencing heart palpitations, right-sided weakness, headaches, and sickness, further testing revealed a 9cm tumor on the left side of his brain, connected to his motor system, along with three cysts.

The heartbreaking news of his passing was shared by sporting director Mark Noble in an emotional statement on Friday. It read: "On behalf of everyone at West Ham United, it is with deep and profound sadness that I confirm the tragic passing of our U15s Academy goalkeeper Oscar Fairs, following his brave battle with cancer.

"Oscar was adored by everyone at the Academy - not only was he a great goalkeeper, he was a true Hammer and a fantastic young person, who will be deeply missed by everyone who had the pleasure to know him.

"I have wonderful memories of Oscar playing in my garden - Lenny and his teammates all loved him. He was a friendly, happy, well-mannered and polite young man, who had such a bright future ahead of him, and it is just so unimaginably devastating that he has been taken from his family and friends at this age.



"As a mark of respect, all scheduled Academy fixtures this weekend have been postponed, including this evening’s PL2 Under-21 match against Stoke City. In due course, the Club will also share information on our plans to pay tribute to Oscar, and we will ensure that his name is never forgotten at West Ham United.

"The thoughts and sincere condolences of everyone at the Club are with Oscar’s parents, Natalie and Russell, and his brother Harry, and we kindly ask that the family’s privacy is respected at this extremely difficult time.

"Rest in peace, brave Oscar."

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Anna Ciao
Written by: Anna Ciao
Anna Ciao is a sports content contributor at Betimate. Born and raised in a rural village in China, I have had a passion for football and various sports such as basketball, volleyball, badminton, from a young age. Along with diligent studies, I achieved an IELTS score of 8.0 in the English language, and I have become a content contributor specializing in sports, particularly football, as I am today. I hope that my articles are helpful to readers.

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