The mum of Richard Okorogheye will join friends and family at his graveside to celebrate what would have been his 20th birthday.
Evidence Joel said a small group of loved ones will tell Richard ‘how much we love him and miss him’ on what would have been a milestone occasion.
Ms Joel told Metro.co.uk that the teenager, whose body was found in Epping Forest, Essex, after he went missing in March, was a ‘wonderful’ person who would have been content with a birthday breakfast.
She had been planning a big celebration to mark her son’s transition into adulthood but will instead visit his graveside, where prayers will be read.
Ms Joel said: ‘Richard was such a wonderful person, he never demanded too much, he just strove to do the best he could.
‘He did not want a lot of material things, and when it came to buying him a birthday present I would scratch my head. When he turned 19 I served him breakfast because it was one thing I could do that was tangible.
‘He didn’t want a huge breakfast and he said, “mummy if you can’t do it, don’t worry”. I used to joke with him that he was greedy because his birthday was in November and Christmas was just around the corner.
‘He was very understanding and the memories I have of him blowing out the candles last year sum him up perfectly. Richard was just Richard.’
Richard, who had sickle cell disorder, went missing on March 22, 2021.
He was last seen on CCTV walking towards Epping Forest in Essex. His body was found in the beauty spot, 20 miles from his family home in Ladbroke Grove, West London, on April 5.
Ms Joel told Metro.co.uk that happy memories will be foremost in her mind when she remembers the university student at his final resting place in Gunnersbury, West London, on Thursday.
‘It will be a celebration and we will read prayers and tell Richard how much we love him and miss him,’ she said.
‘Richard wasn’t really into celebrations but on his last birthday we cut the cake and had a dance together. This year I had a big plan for him, because turning 20 is really something to praise God for.
‘Instead we will pay our respects and tell him how much we love him, because we know he is still very much around us.’
Ms Joel, 39, is also remembering her son through a blood donation campaign, supporting a service that massively improved his quality of life.
The Bonded by Blood appeal is aimed at addressing a shortage of donors in the Black community, which is disproportionately affected by sickle cell.
The staff nurse is focussing on using her son’s memory to help others after telling how she felt brushed aside and treated like a ‘little African woman’ when she initially tried to report him missing to the Metropolitan Police.
She has previously spoken to Metro.co.uk for our State of Racism series about the way the force reacted to her reports, when she says Richard was not treated as a high priority.
Ms Joel said she encountered a ‘dismissive’ attitude from police as she tried to raise the alarm over the course of two days and race hampered the way the reports were handled.
An independent investigation addressing her complaints and the way the force handled the case is being conducted by the Independent Office for Police Conduct.
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