Birmingham teenager who stole nation’s hearts remembered in new book

Aaron Senior was just eight years old when BirminghamLive covered his brave battle with cancer more than 20 years ago. The youngster had already won hearts as his brave battle with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma was recorded in the BBC series Children’s Hospital.

His infectious smile and warm personality moved viewers to tears. And in 1998, when he lost his life to the disease, many mourned his loss.

Aaron’s parents were left devastated, often wondering about the life he could have lived. “His passion was the world,” his father often said, as Aaron had dreams of traveling the globe. At school, the first thing he asked his teacher for was an atlas.

Two decades later, father Denville Leroy Senior, nicknamed “Denny,” finally published his first book chronicling Aaron’s journey. Entitled Aaron’s Story in Verse, the book is a selection of verses dedicated to major milestones in Aaron’s life, from school to cancer treatment.

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Denny said the book was a fitting tribute to his son, who always had a notepad and pencil in hand, often leaving notes around the house and jotting down questions in an endless search for knowledge.

“He’s never far from us,” said Denny, 75, from Erdington, “if you walk into our house we’ve got a collage of Aaron from birth to death on the wall.

“This was me and Norma dealing with the grieving process. It was on my mind a lot last month because of the book.”

Norma Veronica Senior, 71, said: “This month in particular has been an emotional time, thinking about what could have been.”

Denny continued: “The book is a journey, the first story is Aaron the schoolboy, then we get to his treatment, when he got sick and the funeral. It’s a nine-month journey throughout the treatment process.

“Because the BBC did this story, he became a star, he was such a character. I wrote about 39 stories written in verse, not necessarily poetry.

“It was very moving. It’s not an easy read because it’s not fiction, it’s fact, but what people gain from it is inspiration.”

Millions in the UK have been devastated by Aaron’s death following his journey. He was known as “Mr Chatterbox” because of his jokes and laughter with the nurses. Fans of the show flooded Denny and Norma with letters of condolence, a random man from Southampton started a trust fund in Aaron’s name because he was “devastated” by Aaron’s death.

The young man had suffered from headaches for a year before his diagnosis and walked with a limp. Eventually, he was given the bombshell diagnosis of a rare form of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. The disease had caused tumors in his spine and brain.

Despite receiving chemotherapy at Birmingham Children’s Hospital and making progress, the tumors eventually returned with his parents warned that the recovery was poor. He passed away with his family at his bedside.

Denny said: “His passion was the world, he loved the world. He was looking for flags on his computer, the first thing he asked his teacher for was an atlas.

“The book sat there as I tried to get it published over the years. His last words were “rejoice, rejoice” before he disappeared and would have made his table of six.

“There was a story there and it flowed naturally. You have to be strong and when people read this story they will see what I went through.

“Use it as motivation. Because Aaron was such a character, it was the motivation of the book.”

Norma added: “He (Aaron) would have been delighted and loved it. He would be proud of his father.” Denny published “Aaron’s Story in Verse: The True Story of Our Brave Eight-Year-Old’s Battle to Beat Cancer. A Lasting Tribute’ in April.

A portion of the proceeds will go to Birmingham Children’s Hospital and Friends of Brandon Hill, a local charity that helps children in the Caribbean. A special part of the book includes the eulogy, the reading of a verse:

In his short life, he was our little man, not a little boy

He wrote to the end, his last word was “enjoy”

This tells his own story, his spirit will live on

Cherish your memories, he’s not really gone.

Buy Aaron’s Story in Verse here.

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