A dad who died days after his 40th birthday has "left a huge hole that can't be filled".
Darren Mason knew he carried the familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP) gene and faced uncertainty and tests throughout his life because of it. FAP is hereditary and causes multiple polyps [small growths] to grow in the bowel by the time a person is a teen and if not treated can turn into cancer.
But the St Helens dad, who was attending regular check ups, went into hospital for pains in his leg just before Christmas 2021. Soon after he was diagnosed with bowel cancer, which had spread, and he was told there was nothing else that could be done.
