Kasey-Lei Greene, 13, had gone to the cinema with her friend but passed out while watching a film and never recovered consciousness
Kasey-Lei Greene striking a pose as a happy teenager whose life tragically ended while on a trip with her friend to a cinema in Abu Dhabi
The devastated parents of a Birmingham teenager who died while on a trip to the cinema have paid tribute to the ‘bubbly, caring and tough‘ youngster.
Kasey-Lei Greene, from Sutton Coldfield, had been living with her family in Abu Dhabi for 14 months when she tragically collapsed and died at the Vox Cinema at Yas Mall in the United Arab Emirates capital on Thursday, September 4.
The 13-year-old had gone to the cinem,a with a friend after giving her dad, Marc, a hug at home at around 5.30pm, but collapsed an hour later while watching a film at the venue.
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Medics worked on the teen for two hours at the cinema and at hospital but nothing could be done to save her life. She is believed to have died from a cardiac arrest.
Marc, Kasey’s mum Manda and brother, Kian, returned to the UK for Kasey’s funeral last Friday (October 3).
Pink and black ribbons were tied on the funeral procession route from Marc’s mum’s house in Erdington to Erdington Abbey in Sutton Road, where more than 600 people turned out to pay their respects.
Many more also watched a live stream of the funeral, including Kasey’s friends and classmates back in Abu Dhabi.
Kasey was a bubbly outgoing person who made friends from all walks of life, especially in Abu Dhabi’I was literally screaming, holding her hand’
Marc, 37, said he had agreed for Kasey to have her friend, Aria, around for a sleepover on Thursday, September 4.
And because she had been ‘good around the house and with her brother Kian’, Marc agreed for the friends to go to the Vox Cinema in Yas Island, Abu Dhabi.
He booked them a taxi and Kasey gave her dad a hug – heartbreakingly for what would be the last time.
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He said: “Aria called me from Kasey’s phone and said ‘Kasey’s passed out’. I literally ran to the car. The cinema is not even half a mile from my house.
“She had passed out in the cinema watching the movie.
“Over there, they are on it straight away. They had a defibrillator and an ambulance crew had come in 10 minutes and had a machine on her.
“I was literally screaming, holding her hand. I let them do what they could, but I could see she had gone.
“Officially, her death is a cardiac arrest. She had had a few issues before.”
Their final moment together as Kasey asked her friend Aria to take a picture of her grabbing a hug with her dad Marc, just before setting off to the cinema’She held me so tight like she knew that was the last time’
On their final moment together before Kasey left for the cinema, dad Marc said: “She just grabbed me and said to her friend ‘quick, take a picture of me and my dad’. She didn’t check it.
“She held me so tight like she knew that was the last time I would ever feel or hear her voice again.
“Normally she would plan it and add filters and redo it if it wasn’t right – but not this time. That hug blows my mind.”
The Greene family had moved to Abu Dhabi to ‘give the kids a better life’ but have been struck by tragedy as Kasey (right) died suddenly at a cinema
The Greene family had moved to Abu Dhabi in July 2024, and had bought a house off-plan which was being built for them to move into next year.
They had gone to ‘try and give the kids a better life’, having been to Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates on holiday over recent years.
Describing Kasey, her parents said she was ‘bubbly, very outgoing but also dippy’. She used to ‘really love little kids’.
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Marc said: “She had very different circles of friends and did try and bring people together.
“The priest at her funeral said she was sent as an influencer and influenced people to come together.
“He said the whole time he has been at that church he had never seen that turnout. There was 600 hundred there or more.”
He continued: “She made friends very easily. From all walks of life.
“She would bring people home and her friends would call us aunty and uncle. Our house was like a meeting place.”
While mum Manda, 36, added: “She drew people to her. One girl came up and said ‘you’re really beautiful’. She went out and just found people.”
Kasey loved family holidays to Disneyland in Florida, to Spain and to the caravan park in Devon.
She also used to love sitting at her vanity unit to do her fake tan, nails and lashes.
Kasey was also doing vlogs on getting ready before posting them on TikTok or Snapchat.
“She was very humorous and made faces,” her dad said.
Kasey had ‘thrived and excelled’ in Abu Dhabi after the Greene family decided to make the UAE capital their home last year
Manda said: “She used to like mugging me off. She would rob my clothes and say I was too fat for them.” Marc said ‘they were like sisters’.
Manda added: “If she put her mind to do something she’d do it, 100 per cent.”
Marc continued: “But she was dippy. She went to the chippy here and ordered a potato scallop and she said ‘I don’t know what that is, I’m no good at geography’!
“She would wrap me around her finger.”
Manda added: “But behind all the dippiness, she was intelligent and tough. She always had a back-up plan for everything.”
Kasey was described as a ‘massive Aston Villa fan’
In Sutton, the family had lived in Knightswood Close, off Tamworth Road, and before that in Boldmere, where Kasey liked going to Sutton Park, being with family and helping with events at her aunty Emma’s pubs.
She was also ‘massive Aston Villa fan’ and big into trainers.
Kasey also loved American rapper Travis Scott, with dad Marc getting her golden circle tickets, ‘as rare as Willy Wonka golden tickets’ for his concert at the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi in November, which she was so looking forward to and had already chosen an outfit to wear.
Kasey had struggled at first in Abu Dhabi for the first three months but then ‘thrived and excelled’ like Kian, with both loving school.
One of the main reasons they moved there was as Abu Dhabi is the safest city in the world, whereas at home they would worry if Kasey went to the shops.
The incredible floral display at Kasey’s grave at Oscott Cemetery
Kasey’s mum Manda has suffered a double tragedy.
She was back in the UK arranging her mum, Maggie’s funeral, when Kasey collapsed and passed away in Abu Dhabi. Maggie was only 65.
The day before Kasey’s funeral 50 people went out and put pink and black ribbons on the funeral procession route on Chester Road, black being her favourite colour.
At Kasey’s funeral, her cousins Clio and Harrison and friend TJ from Abu Dhabi gave emotional tributes to her.
Now Kasey is laid to rest next to her nan at Oscott Cemetery.
Fundraising project to honour Kasey
Dad Marc said: “I have received thousands of messages. I am finding lots of comfort in people’s acknowledgment of her.
“I have been on auto-pilot since it happened. The last couple of days I think it’s got a little bit tougher.”
But he said: “Kian’s given us strength. He’s never known life without her. It’s got to be a lot harder on him. They were very close.”
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In Kasey’s memory, the family have started a GoFundMe page, Kasey’s Wells of Life to pay for water wells in Africa.
Dad, Marc, said: “This stems from her friend TJ who is from a Muslim background. When somebody dies they do something good in the world.
“So we are looking to buy three £1,500 pumps in Kenya, Tanzania and Cameroon which provide water for crops to grow food and water for 30 years.
“And 10 £150 pumps which provide drinking water for 10 to 15 years.
“Manda went on safari to Africa a ‘beautiful country’ and saw ‘first-hand’ how those pumps will help people.”
The Big Family Halloween Party is being held in memory of Kasey at her aunt’s pub The Diggers in Moor Lane
And with Halloween being her favourite time of the year, aunt Emma is hosting the Big Family Halloween party at The Diggers pub in Moor Lane on Saturday, October 25, from 2pm to 6pm, with a DJ, party games, decorate a pumpkin and cookies and more, along with a raffle at £4 a ticket for children, with everything going towards Kasey’s Wells of Life.