John Baldri and the locals of Vignale Monferrato -- the northern Italian community where he was living -- made headlines earlier this year, when the pope emotionally recounted their story in his Sunday prayers.

John was a young man originally from Ghana, who had settled down and found work in northern Italy after arriving on Lampedusa from Libya.

After John became ill with terminal liver cancer, he told the medical staff taking care of him that he wished he could see his father and his brothers back home again.

Fundraiser so John could see family again

To help fulfil John's wish, the locals in his village started a fundraiser to cover his costs and pay for an extra person to accompany him to Ghana. They managed to raise enough money, including for the medicine necessary for John to travel such as morphine.

John reportedly wanted to ultimately return to Italy. However, he died in Ghana, according to Italian media reports published on Monday (August 29).

The mayor of Vignale Monferrato, Ernesta Corona, remembered John as "strong and optimistic until the very end." She said that "in the Salesian mission, where a doctor was treating him, he said that, 'today, maybe, will be worse but tomorrow will be better. I am in a lot of pain.' The next day he said: 'I thought it would be better, but it is even worse. But tomorrow will be better.' His constant thanking everyone warmed our hearts."

She said that "thanks to the generosity of the community of Vignale, he was able to make that last trip and meet his family again."

Pope: 'Saints from next door'

Pope Francis spoke of John and those who supported him during his Sunday praisers in February. In an emotional, spontaneous speech, he said that their story proved that "today, amid so much bad news, there are beautiful things. There are 'saints from next door'."