Overview

• Oli Russell says his place is confirmed for next year’s London Marathon to fundraise in Rhys’s memory.
• Rhys was diagnosed at 15 after a bleeding red patch on his scalp, hard to see beneath his thick curly hair, was spotted before a shower.
• Within a year, doctors told the family the melanoma had reached stage four with spread to his liver, lungs, back and possible heart and brain.
• He underwent targeted therapy and radiotherapy, later required fentanyl for severe pain, and died in March after a final Zoom message with Jack Grealish.
• The family urges early checks of any changes to skin, noting NHS guidance on mole changes and Cancer Research UK data that about 86% of skin cancers are preventable with over 17,500 UK cases annually.