adminBradley Lowery’s mum will never forget what Everton did for her little boy and his amazing legacy
Gemma Lowery, the mum of Bradley Lowery, spoke to the ECHO as the foundation set up to continue his legacy raised awareness of the childhood fight against cancer at Everton’s game with West Ham
“I can’t even put it into words because it was so special… I’ll be forever grateful for that.” Gemma Lowery is standing next to the pitch at Everton’s new stadium but her thoughts turn to some of her happy memories at the club’s old home.
It was Goodison Park where Blues embraced her son, Bradley, so emphatically and the support from fans, club officials and former chairman Bill Kenwright created a special bond that offered the family strength as the schoolboy bravely fought cancer.
The relationship started when the little boy, who was fighting Stage 4 high risk neuroblastoma, was guest of honour at the Stadium of Light when the Blues travelled there in 2016.
His story prompted a £200,000 donation from the club to support his efforts to receive specialist treatment in the USA and the following January, when Sunderland visited Goodison, he was carried onto the pitch by home forward Romelu Lukaku in a Mackems shirt that had the words ‘thank you Everton’ on the back.
Reflecting on some of the family’s memories of Goodison, Gemma added: “I remember when Bradley was on the pitch in his little Everton kit and the sprinklers came on and his little face, he was fuming, but it was really funny – he did get wet, just a little bit. One more was when he was walking, him and Carl [his dad] were walking off the pitch and everybody was just clapping them and shouting. He absolutely loved being famous. He loved it.”
There is also great fondness for the late club chairman, Kenwright, who Bradley named “Uncle Bill”. The family credit him and the club for helping their efforts to explore treatment to transcend beyond Sunderland and into a campaign that became supported by the wider football community.
Gemma said: “I think the turning point for the campaign was when Bradley was mascot and Bill donated that money. There are no words to describe how much I appreciate that.”
Gemma was at Hill Dickinson Stadium for Everton’s match with West Ham United on Monday night, a guest as the club supported the Bradley Lowery Foundation’s ‘Cancer has no Colours’ campaign to mark September being Childhood Cancer Awareness Month.
The effort aims to raise awareness of the fight being waged by children battling cancer, and to fundraise to support families trying to access treatment or equipment not readily available or covered by the NHS.
The charity’s work has helped the family of Everton supporter Holly Barnes, who was a mascot for the match. The five-year-old was diagnosed with Stage 4 neuroblastoma in May 2024. Following a recent relapse, she is currently receiving a combination of chemotherapy and immunotherapy as part of a research study funded by charities including The Bradley Lowery Foundation.
Holly, who aside from the Blues loves to dance, was at the match with parents Mark and Kathryn.
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