A young West Ham striker has died after a three year battle with testicular cancer. Dylan Tombides, 20, passed away today with his family at his bedside. The Australian footballer was first diagnosed with cancer while representing Australia during the 2011 Under 17 World Cup in Mexico.
He fought the disease for three years but has sadly lost his battle. West Ham released a statement which read: ‘West Ham United announce the sad news that forward Dylan Tombides has passed away at the age of 20 following his brave battle with cancer. ‘Dylan passed away on Friday morning with his family by his side having courageously fought the disease for three years after initially being diagnosed with testicular cancer in summer 2011.’ Perth-born Tombides was regarded as one of the most exciting young players to come out of Australia after signing with West Ham as a 14-year-old. After being diagnosed with cancer he battled back to make his first-team début in a League Cup match against Wigan in 2012.His death will be marked by a minute’s applause before West Ham’s home match against Crystal Palace this weekend.
Tombides was told he has cancer while in Cancun, Mexico, with his father. A random drugs test following a match against Uzbekistan has uncovered a tumour on one of his testicles. In an interview he explained: ‘I was 17, a young man and I had never come across cancer. All I was thinking about was getting in the West Ham team and taking my driving test. ‘All I ever wanted to be was a top professional footballer with West Ham. I copped one in my groin against Brazil at the World Cup and I knew that I had a problem, but I had no idea it was cancer. ‘It was only when I took the phone call in Cancun that I realised just how serious the condition was. ‘I had the blood tests and CT scans when I got back to England and they told me I needed to have a testicle removed immediately.’
Tombides has a 45 minute operation to remove the tumour and then spent weeks in St Bartholomew’s Hospital, London, having chemotherapy. His mother, Traceylee, said in an earlier interview: ‘It was a period of helplessness. As a parent we wanted to protect our kids, but we had no control. ‘I often thought cancer would happen in the lives of our family at some point, but not my kids.’ FIFA president Sepp Blatter led the messages of condolences to Tombides’ family by tweeting: ‘My thoughts & prayers are with the family of Dylan Tombides, @whufc_official & @FFA today. Rest in peace Dylan.’
May his gentle soul rest in peace!