A mother has dubbed her late son a hero, as after being told he would soon die he kept the news to himself to save his parents from anguish.
Ben Green was 21-years-old when he lost his battle with cystic fibrosis on Saturday, November 11, and left behind heartbroken mum, Jaime, 46, and dad, Phil, 43.
Jaime had been a full-time carer for Ben, but found out after his death that he had told hospital staff at Bristol Royal Infirmary not to tell his parents how seriously ill he was.
She has now spoken out in praise of her son, saying this final act was typically selfless of Ben, and describing him as a hero.
Jaime, from Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, said: “To not say anything about what was happening to him…he was just a hero.
“He just wanted to protect me. I wish I had known because I could have done so much more.
“He suffered in silence, he didn’t want anyone to know.”
Adding to the heartbreak, Jaime discovered that Ben had posted on social media before his death saying that he had never been so scared.
She added: “He has left such a hole in everyone’s heart. I’m struggling, it’s so raw, I’m a lost soul at the moment.
“You couldn’t ask for a better son. He was absolutely incredible – so loving, so caring. He could be so poorly but would worry about everyone else.
“He didn’t want to be wrapped in cotton wool. If I tried to talk to him about certain things, he would say ‘Don’t be so deep mum’.
“He was always about everyone else. If he did go out, he would give £10 to a tramp, that sort of thing.”
Jaime and Phil said they felt they would never meet a stronger person in their lives.
The couple are now trying to console Ben’s five sisters and four brothers after his death.
The siblings are aged three to 22 and seven of them still live in the family home.
They will be among hundreds of people expected to attend Ben’s funeral in St Mark’s Church, at 1.30pm on November 29. All are welcome to attend it, before a private burial at Cheltenham Cemetery.
Jaime plans to have his coffin carried to the church in a VW camper van, saying it will be “like he will be going on a holiday” and adding that he would not have had wanted to be carried in a traditional black hearse.
