The father of a 12-year-old Indian-origin Auckland schoolboy who died just weeks before his 13th birthday says he has lost his “strength” and his “best friend”, as the community rallies to support the family.
Jason Brendon Madanu, a student at Mt Roskill Intermediate, died on September 7. A pathologist’s provisional opinion was that he suffered bleeding inside the skull as a complication of immune thrombocytopenia and infection, a condition in which the immune system destroys the platelets the blood needs to clot. His death has been referred to the coroner, the New Zealand Herald reported.
“I see him everywhere,” his father, Arogya Joseph Madanu, told the Herald.
“I miss his hugs. He kissed me every night even though I’d tell him, ‘Jason, you’re a big boy, you don’t have to do that’, but he’d still kiss each of us.”
Born in Hyderabad, India, on October 23, 2013, Jason spent part of his early childhood there with his grandmother while his parents moved to New Zealand to prepare for the family’s future. He later joined them in Auckland. Arogya recalled their reunion:
“He looked into my eyes for two or three minutes. He missed me so much for two years.”
Jason was remembered by his family and school as a caring, creative boy who loved music, worship and time with those closest to him. He dreamed of becoming a pastor. On Sundays he would set up a projector, keyboard and Bible in his room, dress in a blazer, and lead his younger sisters in singing and prayer. His favourite song was the Telugu Christian hymn Yese Naa Parihaari (“Jesus Is My Protector”).
At school he was looking forward to performing in Mt Roskill Intermediate’s production of Moana Jr. Principal Kristen Walsham said Jason spent his breaks around the hall during rehearsals, watching the set, particularly the waka, come together, and made sure only cast members entered. The school remembered him as a “special taonga” and dedicated the production to him. Walsham said Jason “touched many lives and will never be forgotten”.
Arogya said Jason had become unwell in the weeks before his death, fainting at home and feeling dizzy at school before developing painful mouth sores and bleeding. He was admitted to hospital, where he repeatedly asked to go home. Early the next morning he complained of severe pain in his head.
“Those were the last words he spoke to me.”
Jason is survived by his parents, Arogya and Bhagya Rani Madanu, two younger sisters and a younger brother. The family held a funeral Mass followed by burial at Manukau Memorial Gardens.
The Telangana Association of New Zealand (TANZ) set up a Givealittle page to help with funeral, burial and memorial costs, which the family says have placed a significant financial burden on them. On September 28, TANZ thanked donors on behalf of the family and urged people to keep sharing the page.
Arogya said support from the family’s church, school and wider community had meant “more than we can express”. Jason’s faith, he said, remains a comfort.
“My daughter asks me every day when we can see Jason, so we tell her, ‘One day, when we go to Jesus, we will see him.’ That’s our hope.”
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