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Most read: 'Mummy I'm sorry for this' - Heart-rending last words of cancer-stricken boy, 5, who died in mum's arms

November 13, 2018

This story was first published on Tuesday November 13.

A five-year-old boy with cancer told his mother he was sorry for putting the family through such an ordeal before he died in her arms.

Charlie Proctor from Lancashire, England, was diagnosed with a rare form of childhood liver cancer in 2016, Britain's Daily Mail reports.  

Denied a liver transplant through the National Health Service, his parents Amber Schofield and Ben Proctor crowdfunded for the life-saving treatment in the US.

But they managed to raise less than half of the $NZ1.636 million they needed in the short time they had left with their son, and doctors then gave Charlie only days to live.

The young schoolboy died in his mother's arms on Saturday evening local time, after he told her: "Mummy I'm sorry for this."

Charlie's smile is said to have captured the hearts of the nation on his "Charlie's Chapter" Facebook page, where his mother posted regular updates of how his hepatoblastoma was taking its toll.

"Last night at 23:14 my best friend, my world, Charlie, took his final breath. He fell asleep peacefully cuddled in my arms with daddy’s arms wrapped around us," Ms Schofield wrote in a heartfelt post on Sunday, accompanied by a photo of him with her and his father.

"Our hearts are aching. The world has lost an incredible little boy. Charlie, you gave me chance to be a mum. You have been, not only our biggest inspiration but you have been an inspiration to thousands of people all over the world. 

"You showed me what love really means Charlie. Now it’s time to fly, I am so, so proud of you. You fought this so hard. My baby, I’m hurting so much. I will forever miss you baby bum. Sweet dreams my baby."

His parents' fundraising campaign had caught the attention of US pop star Pink, who shared the crowdfunding page with her 5.1 million followers.

The family claimed medics had told them a liver transplant "would not be worth it" given the advanced stage of Charlie's condition, the Daily Mail reported.   

Ms Schofiled wrote in an earlier update: "The NHS have done a lot for us but this is where the road ends as far as they are concerned, and as a mother it is difficult to accept that my son will die purely because we aren't rich enough to save him.

"Cancer is a rich man's game. The more money you have, the more likely it is that your child will live. How is that fair? 

"It makes me feel sick that he could die because we aren't rich. It makes me feel so helpless."

Ms Schofield has said she is devastated that Charlie's little sister Jessica will not grow up with her big brother and that she will not be able to see him grow up. 

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