Ex Arsenal Player, Benik Afobe Has Open Up On Death of his daughter

Former Arsenal player has spoken for the first time on the sad death of his baby girl.

 Amora was born with the rare kidney condition nephrotic syndrome. 

They had given doctors at the Royal Stoke University Hospital permission to turn off the life support machine that was keeping their precious little girl alive.

Amora was born with the rare kidney condition nephrotic syndrome and was taken to hospital in November vomiting and crying in pain.

Her condition worsened and breathing stopped, so she had to be put on a ventilator.

An MRI scan revealed permanent brain damage and medics told the couple there was nothing they could do.

Afobe, 27, said: “It was sickening. It was our baby girl, first child, she hadn’t had the chance to live a life.

“Every member of our family was there when the plug was pulled. We all said a prayer and our last words to her.

“I kissed her. It’s something I’ll never forget.

“Talking about it now makes me tearful but she went surrounded by love and with the best people around her.”

The days, weeks and months that followed were difficult and at times took the Afobes to breaking point.

He said: “The worse thing for any parent is to see their child go through something like that.

“My mum said she wished she could have swapped places with her as Amora hadn’t had the chance to live a life like she has.

“Everyone was heartbroken but Lois and I felt we had to be positive.

“At times we had to blag it so everyone didn’t get down as well. We took all the burden.

“Sometimes the two of us would go into a room and cry alone for hours.

“We were broken to the point that we didn’t want to see our other daughter (20-month-old Alba) for a few days because we didn’t want her surrounded by grief.

“It was important to pull ourselves together for her sake and fill the surroundings with positivity.”

The family received an outpouring of love, sympathy and support from across the footballing community.

And Afobe, currently at the Robins on a season-long loan from Stoke, said that helped them through the darkest of times.

He said: “I can’t thank the football world and my family and friends enough for the strength they gave us.

“I never thought Benik and Lois Afobe would have been that important to people to get that outpouring of love.”