A terminally ill teenager who raised over £60,000 for a six-year-old cancer sufferer who he never met has passed away at the age of 19.
Rhys Langford was diagnosed with osteosarcoma in 2020, a cancer starting in the bones that later spread to other areas of his body.
When Rhys, who worked as a labourer for a water supplier before falling ill, read the story of fellow cancer-sufferer Jacob Jones, he felt implied to do something to help.
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Six-year-old Jacob had gone through gruelling treatment to rid him of a rare cancer called neuroblastoma but doctors believe it has returned.
Rhys, who hailed from the same town in South Wales as little Jacob, immediately donated £1,000 - his life savings - to help pay for his treatment.
He also set up an online crowdfunder which has since gone viral and raised more than £60,000 for Jacob and his family.
Rhys's mum Catherine Langford, 38, said: "Rhys found the story of little Jacob online and he called me upstairs to show me.
"He said I want to donate some money to him as it would be incredible if someone would save him.
"I couldn't believe he was thinking about someone else when he's on death's door himself.”
Sadly, on Tuesday evening (February 8), Rhys passed away.
Jacob's grandmother Dawn Jones, 65, paid tribute to Rhys by saying: "We’re deeply sad and upset.
"The love, compassion, strength and courage Rhys showed was unbelievable and he will never be forgotten.
"Because of his kindness, Jacob will have a better chance of battling with whatever he is faced with now or in the future.
"We will never be able to show how much Rhys and his family mean to us.
"We're overwhelmed by the fundraising by Rhys and we are heartbroken.
"Our thoughts are with his family."
At the age of 16, talented athlete Rhys became one of the youngest people in the UK to achieve a black belt in the martial art Krav Maga.
He also scaled Snowdon three times and had dreamed of one day going up Ben Nevis.
The first sign of a health problem came when Rhys had a sprint race with friends, lost his balance and fell.
Catherine and his dad Paul Langford, 45, thought he had suffered from a groin strain at the time, but Rhys was still limping eight weeks later.
He carried on working but reached a point where he was struggling to get out of the lorry at work.
In October 2020, after various tests, Rhys was tragically diagnosed with osteosarcoma.
Experts at Birmingham's Royal Orthopaedic Hospital found an 18cm tumour in his right hip.
Rhys had a series of blood transfusions and went through intensive chemotherapy, quickly dropping from 12st to 8st 4lbs.
After the 10 weeks of chemo Rhys stayed in the Royal Orthopaedic for three weeks for an operation to remove all the bone from his kneecap to his right hip.
This would mean Rhys always needed two sticks to walk, but the family hoped it would save his life.
Up until August 2021, Rhys then underwent another 20 weeks of chemo, which they initially thought had cured his cancer and he started to get his life back.
But in October, a year after his diagnosis, Rhys' right leg started to swell and grew three times its normal size.
Rhys spent almost a month in various hospitals being treated for sepsis in the run-up to Christmas until tragically experts found a cancerous mass in his thigh.
Although consultants in Birmingham discussed the possibility of a full amputation of the leg, they told the family on January 4 that Rhys could not be saved.
Paul said: "There were three different surgeons waiting for us.
"They said we need to be blunt with you.
"The cancer has returned and it's not only in his thigh. It's in his groin, his back, his lymphatic system, his lungs.
"There's nothing more we can do to save his life.
"As a parent, if someone gives you a one per cent chance of life you thrive on it - but there was nothing they could do."
He added: "At first Rhys was angry, looking for someone to blame.
"He was saying, 'They told me they'd saved me, they lied to me.'
"He went through a dark stage, thinking there was nobody waiting on the other side for him."
But, ultimately, Rhys’ family said he had shown great bravery throughout and showed such compassion for helping Jacob.
Paul said: "Rhys has always been a very caring and selfless boy, always thinking of others.
"After the absolute hell he's been through, to do this for a little boy — words can't describe how proud we are of him.”
