Family of brave Hastings boy Denny thanks community for hero’s send-off

Denny Nassy’s funeral service was held on Monday (October 5). A funeral procession went along Queen’s Road, then along the seafront towards the Old Town before heading towards the crematorium. Along the route members of the public dressed up as superheroes. At the crematorium, seven doves were released before the service began in honour of Denny, who died on September 7. Denny’s aunt, Michele Laurens, said: “Leaving my mum’s house on Monday (October 5) following Denny’s coffin was one of the most traumatic things I’ve had to do, and I’ve seen so much trauma in the last couple of months. “What hurt the most was Denny loved going to his nanny’s house and was always desperate to leave hospital to go and see his nanny and grandad and play with his sister Marley. “To see him turn up outside her house in a coffin knowing he will never walk down that path again absolutely broke me and my family. It was the most surreal and unnatural thing to ever experience. “As we sat in cars behind his carriage all I could think was ‘this is Denny’s last trip around town and he’s in a coffin’. “Moving through the roads and places where he always walked was heartbreaking, memories of each road and pathway flashed at every corner, then we saw people, everywhere lining the streets, waving, smiling, crying, music, and balloons everywhere. “Words can’t express how magical our town made that little boy’s last walk. The love and pain in everyone’s faces made it feel that he was really loved and cared for. “We knew this anyway but seeing it physically while he was taking part in such a heartbreaking journey turned that walk into such a beautiful one. “Words cannot even express how Hastings helped us as a family that day get through one of the hardest days of our lives. “The police had even stopped the traffic on the seafront to allow Denny through peacefully, the fire brigade had turned up on the seafront to honour him and up on The Ridge, people had dressed up as his favourite superheroes and walked with him, and the songs Denny used to sing were blaring from different shops and speakers along the route. “At every corner there was a different surprise for Denny. Flowers were thrown throughout the route from people in the crowds. “When we got to the crematorium the cemetery was filled with people and balloons being released. I have never witnessed anything so special and beautiful I just hope wherever Denny is right now he managed to see how very much he was loved by everyone.” Denny was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia in January 2016. He was treated with chemotherapy and went into remission, but then relapsed in 2018, the same week as his younger sister Marley was diagnosed with leukaemia too. Both underwent chemotherapy before Denny required a marrow transplant. Denny’s aunt launched a campaign to raise £500,000 so Denny could got to the USA for treatment he needed, called CAR-T therapy. The target was reached but in April the family’s plans were crushed due to the coronavirus pandemic. Michele added: “Denny has brought this whole town together and it just amazes me how a seven-year-old little boy can make such a massive difference to a community. I love Hastings, it’s a beautiful place. Monday was proof of that. “I would like to thank Towners, who have been a massive support to my family. We told them what we wanted and they put it all together with ease. The horses, carriage and coffin were absolutely perfect. It was just such a perfect day. “We would also like to thank Jonathan Mendenhall who did the service for free and all Denny’s and Marley’s nursing team from the Conquest who all turned up.” Read more: Community remembers brave Hastings boy Denny. A message from the Editor, Gary Shipton: In order for us to continue to provide high quality and trusted local news, I am asking you to please purchase a copy of our newspapers. With the coronavirus lockdown having a major impact on many of our local valued advertisers - and consequently the advertising that we receive - we are more reliant than ever on you helping us to provide you with news and information by buying a copy of our newspapers. Our journalists are highly trained and our content is independently regulated by IPSO to some of the most rigorous standards in the world. But being your eyes and ears comes at a price. So we need your support more than ever to buy our newspapers during this crisis. Stay safe, and best wishes.