Story By: Ana Lacasa, Sub Editor: Joseph Golder, Agency: CEN
Video Credit: CEN/Nay Esparza
The four-year-old Harry Potter fan whose brave fight with cancer prompted Daniel Radcliffe to send her a video message of support has died.
Gisela ‘Gigi’ Garcia Fomperosa, from the city of Cuernavaca in south-central Mexico’s Morelos state, was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia 19 months ago when she was only two years old.
The sad news of the death of Gigi, who would have been five years old next month (April), was confirmed on the ‘Todos Con Gigi’ (All With Gigi) Facebook page.
Pictures Credit: CEN/TodosConGigi
Her family posted a message saying: “Today, at 12.54, we lost a great warrior, full of light, full of love, full of wisdom and strength, a small angel who gave a lot here on Earth, who taught us to walk through life with a smile and always be happy.
“Today we lost a warrior, a princess, a rock star, a dancer and a painter. But today little Gigi won the war, because every happy day was a day won.
“We promise to keep her legacy alive and so it will be… Because Gigi is magic, Gigi is light, Gigi’s dream was to give to others.”
The news of Gigi’s death comes not long after her family reported her health had declined despite some positive test results after undergoing chemotherapy.
Pictures Credit: CEN/TodosConGigi & CEN
A funeral service is to be held in the Mexican capital, Mexico City, before her body is returned to her home city of Cuernavaca for burial.
Gigi’s parents always said her love of Harry Potter had helped lift her spirits and Daniel Radcliffe sent her a short video, filmed backstage on New York’s Broadway where he is appearing in a play, The Lifespan of a Fact, in January.
In it, he said: “Hi Gigi, nice to meet you. I hope you are having a lovely day wherever you are.
“I’m sorry I look so scruffy and that it is so loud, but I just wanted to send lots of best wishes and love to you, and we are all thinking about you.”
Acute lymphoblastic leukaemia is an aggressive type of cancer that affects the white blood cells. Although rare, it is the most common type of childhood leukaemia.
