Jessica Jones star Eka Darville’s young son has tragically died aged 10 following a brief battle with brain cancer.
Eka, famous for his role in the Marvel hit series Jessica Jones alongside David Tennant, is mourning the loss of his young son, Mana.
The 10-year-old boy fought bravely against a rare and aggressive form of brain cancer, known as glioneuronal brain cancer, but tragically succumbed to the disease, per News.com.au.
The devastating news was confirmed by Eka's mother, Malaika, in a video shared on the GoFundMe page that had been set up in her grandson's name. She expressed the family's deep sorrow and gratitude for the support they had received.
"I still wanted to come together in this prayer because he's still always gonna be with us, and he's still with us," Malaika said.
She continued: "You can imagine the amount of sadness and grief of Eka, Lila, and Lila's parents, his grandparents, myself, his little brothers. But at the same time, there's a lot of joy. There's a lot of peace. There's a lot of stillness in the house after such a long struggle for 463 days since the whole ordeal began. And now he's free. Now he's dancing in the light."
"We all see it, we feel it, and I know that many of you, like myself, loved Mana eternally," she added.
The tragic journey began when Mana collapsed on a beach in July 2022. Subsequently, he experienced devastating seizures, leading to his hospitalization in January of this year, where doctors diagnosed him with brain cancer.
Despite undergoing an operation to remove as much of the tumor as possible, Mana's family embarked on a mission to find a cure for the young boy outside of Australia.
They identified potential lifesaving treatments in the United States and set a fundraising goal of $600,000 to cover the expenses. Remarkably, the family managed to raise the funds in just a few months.
Last week, the family shared their hope and faith on Instagram, writing: "Mana is still breathing, so we have hope. We know miracles are possible because we see it every day with our little man. Thank you to everyone for sharing your daily #manamoment with us."
Sadly Mana passed away, and netizens offered their condolences, including Australian actress Teresa Palmer who penned: "Sending immense love your way, friends."
Our thoughts are with Mana's loved ones during this difficult time.
