A teenager with months to live has donated almost all his savings to help a boy he has never met.
Rhys Langford, from Ebbw Vale, is severely ill with osteosarcoma, a cancer which starts in the bones. Experts say he has only a few months to live.
The 19-year-old was reading WalesOnline last week when he came across the story of Jacob Jones, a six-year-old boy from the same town. Jacob had gone through gruelling treatment to rid him of a rare cancer called neuroblastoma, but doctors believe it has now returned.
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Rhys' mum Catherine said: "Rhys found the story of little Jacob. He called me upstairs and he was crying in bed reading the story. He said, 'Mum, I want to donate some money to him. He's six years of age and he's been ill since he was two. I'd be over the moon if someone would save him.' I couldn't believe he was thinking about someone else when he's on death's door himself."
The teenager, who worked as a labourer for a water supplier before falling ill, donated £1,000 in savings for Jacob's treatment. He has also set up an online crowdfunder which has seen more than £5,000 raised for Jacob.
Catherine, 38, said: "Although our hearts are breaking because our son is dying, our hearts are bursting with pride."
Rhys, whose cancer has left him bedridden, was a talented athlete before his illness. When he was 16 he became one of the youngest people in the UK to achieve a black belt in the martial art Krav Maga at adult grading. He scaled Snowdon three times and had dreamed of one day going up Ben Nevis.
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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 thought he had a groin strain, 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.
After various tests Rhys was diagnosed with osteosarcoma in October 2020. Experts at Birmingham's Royal Orthopaedic Hospital found an 18cm tumour in his right hip.
Paul, 45, said: "Your world breaks down when you hear that word 'cancer'. I can remember Rhys saying, 'Dad it's only cancer, I'll be alright Dad, I'll be fine.'"
Consultants told the family the survival rate was about 50/50. "We knew he would be severely disabled but we always thought he would beat it," said Catherine.
When the severity of the illness started to dawn, Paul remembers Rhys saying: "What have I done wrong in life? I'm never going to kick a ball again, I'm never going to drive a car."
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Rhys had a series of blood transfusions and went through intensive chemotherapy, quickly dropping from 12st to 8st 4lbs.
"The strength of the chemo he was on made him really sick," said Catherine. "He couldn't keep anything down. His immune system was completely wiped out. He lost his hair."
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 needing two sticks to walk, but the family hoped it would save his life. Rhys then had another 20 weeks of chemo treatment.
"He had a lot of emotions," said Paul, "He would be in the bed playing on his computer while all his mates were in cars and playing football. He couldn't go on holiday with the boys, which was something he never got the chance to do. He couldn't run around the beach.
"He had all these ambitions. We always kept him motivated. We told him, 'You're still here. You're not dead, you've got your life.'"
Rhys finished his treatment last August, hoping he had finally beaten cancer. He had a party and started to feel he was getting his life back, said Paul.
But in October, Rhys' right leg started to swell. Paul recalls it grew to three times its normal size. Rhys spent almost a month in various hospitals being treated for sepsis in the run-up to Christmas. Tragically experts found a cancerous mass in Rhys' 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."
The experts said there was a chance that more chemo could give Rhys a little more time, but he was adamant in telling his parents: "I could never ever do chemo again."
Paul said: "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 was bedbound, punching his wardrobe. He went through a dark stage, thinking there was nobody waiting on the other side for him."
The Langford family had never been religious but they found the only source of comfort for Rhys was visits from Reverend Roy Watson, chaplain at the Hospice of the Valleys. This week Rev Watson baptised Rhys, his nine-year-old brother Charlie and Catherine at their home.
"He didn't see any point in counselling but he seems to find faith when the reverend comes to the house," said Paul. "The reverend will read passages from the Bible at his bedside and he'll be engrossed. He'll read a lot of passages about healing and the afterlife."
On Rhys' fundraising for 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 — I'm so proud of him."
Paul also paid tribute to the efforts of surgeon Scott Evans and staff at the Royal Orthopaedic. "They said the chances were that we could save Rhys' life but things change and I can't blame anyone. I've never met a surgeon in my life so enthusiastic about his job and so caring as Scott Evans."
Jacob's father Alwyn said words cannot express the Jones family's gratitude for Rhys' generosity.
"Here is a young man who has not long to live and yet he read Jacob's story and wanted to help him," Alwyn added. "He has said that he cannot be saved so he wanted to help save Jacob. What a wonderful, kind, compassionate young man. Our hearts go out to his family in this really difficult sad time."
You can donate here to Rhys' fundraiser for Jacob.
