Five children left orphaned after both parents die from bowel cancer just weeks apart

Omena Ubiaro dies the day before his wife Makeda’s funeral

Five children have become orphans after their mother and father died from bowel cancer within weeks of each other.

Omena Ubiaro, 38, died from Stage 4 bowel cancer in a Wolverhampton hospice on Monday, the day before the funeral of his wife Makeda, also 38.

She passed away from the same disease on 29 July, The Mirror reported.

A GoFundMe page was set up in the days after Makeda’s death to help pay for her funeral costs and to be donated to the couple’s children.

Nearly £40,000 has been raised through the page, which features a video of Mr Ubiaro giving a heartfelt message of thanks to those who had given support.

“I just want to say thank you so much to everyone who has been supporting myself and my family," he said. "Recently, myself and my five boys, we’ve just lost my wife, they’ve lost a mother, and I’ve also lost a best friend as well.

Mr Ubiaro explained in the video that he has not been able to respond to people due to the difficulty of his wife’s death, but that he wanted to thank people for their thoughts, prayers, gifts, financial donations and for trying to make him laugh.

“It’s been difficult for the boys, it’s been difficult for myself, and I know a lot of the time people say ‘be strong, be strong, be strong,’ but sometimes guys, it’s tough,” he said, crediting his faith for helping him.

A friend of Mr Ubiaro, Charles Busari, updated the GoFundMe page on Monday with the news of his death and asked for continued donations to help support the children.

“It breaks my heart to report that sadly our dear brother Omena has lost his fight to cancer,” he wrote.

“I would like to offer a heartfelt thank you to everyone who have contributed so far financially, with prayers and with words of encouragement. Unfortunately our worst fears have been confirmed and we now need your donations more than ever to support the children. No amount is too small as little streams make mighty oceans. Thank you.”

Mr and Mrs Ubiaro met when they were teenagers at a college in Clapham, South London. They married in 2004 and moved to Birmingham in 2009.

They are survived by five sons, aged seven to 19.