In what is a heart-warming story, Italian Serie A club AS Roma paid tribute to Kerala-origin fan Nicholas Kandathiparambil who had passed away after a fatal car accident in Rome last week. His family decided to donate his organs and hoped that it would spread a positive message about organ donation.
"If you asked Nicholas to choose between the Pope and Francesco Totti, he would have chosen Totti. He idolised Totti and was mad about AS Roma. We have lost him but we decided to donate his organs so that there is more awareness about it and more people come forward to do the same. And at least my son will continue to live through others. We wanted to set an example by donating his organs," said Marykutty, his mother who works as a nurse in Rome. Nicholas' father passed away seven years ago.
Nicholas, whose father is from Kochi and mother from Kottayam was born and brought up in Rome and was a die-hard AS Roma fan.
"Rest in Peace, Nicholas Kanda. Romanista forever," AS Roma's English Twitter handle wrote.
Nicholas was doing his Sports Management studies in the Netherlands but had gone to Rome for holidays when the accident happened.
AS Roma India also paid their tributes to the youngster.
"With profound sorrow and broken hearts, we say goodbye to our dear brother - Nicholas Kandathiparambil. We pray that his near and dear ones have enough strength to withstand the great loss. May his soul rest in peace. You will always be with us, Nicky!"
Nicholas along with his cousin Jerry were part of the AS Roma India fan club.
"We used to go for many games. He was a die-hard fan. Since his childhood, he was a Roma fan. He idolized Francesco Totti. We could talk about football for hours," said Jerry. Nicholas was in the ICU for a week after his accident.
A group of Roma fans carried banners with the message 'Forza Nicholas' during AS Roma's league match against Bologna. His idol Totti had sent a personally signed jersey, wishing him a speedy recovery and promised to meet him when he recovered.
He wrote 'Daje Nicholas' on the jersey which translates to 'Come on Nicholas'.
The club had also invited him to their training centre when he recovered, but tragically, Nicholas succumbed to his injuries.
"He was a lovely child. Very jovial and friendly with everyone. He loved football and ever since he could walk, he was playing football. We are very proud of him," said Marykutty.