Eritrean man succumbs to cancer after viral appeal

An Eritrean man who sparked a donation frenzy among Eritreans in the diaspora has succumbed to blood cancer while receiving treatment at a hospital in Istanbul, Turkey.

Yonas Tsegay’s appeal for help in January saw fellow Eritreans raise nearly 700,000 Canadian dollars ($560,000, £410,000) within a day.

The money was raised through a GoFundMe appeal started by Canada-based Eritrean Mebrahtu Hidray.

Yonas died a few days ago and his funeral is expected in the coming days, sources have told BBC Tigrinya.

He suffered from Hodgkin's lymphoma, which is described by the UK National Health Service (NHS) as an “uncommon” blood cancer that “can usually be treated successfully with chemotherapy alone, or chemotherapy followed by radiotherapy”.

The most common symptoms include a painless swelling in a lymph node, usually in the neck, armpit or groin.

The authorities told him to seek medical treatment abroad but his family was unable to afford this.

With the help of Eritrea-based YouTube channel Henpas Entertainment, the family decided to seek help through GoFundMe - and Eritreans in the diaspora responded immediately.

This article originally appeared in BBC News

Photo: Henpas Entertainment