The family of a student who died of skin cancer at the age of 20 have saved the life of another man.
Tom Linton lost his life after being diagnosed with stage four melanoma. The cancer has developed from a mole on his arm, which he decided to get a tattoo over at the age of 18.
His tattoo artist previously advised Tom, from from Chester-le-Street, County Durham, to get the mole checked out but he did not think it was anything to worry about.
Tom started feeling unwell and losing weight at the end of 2019 and he was rushed to A&E after he began suffering from chest pain and developed blue spots on his body.
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The family said they were going backwards and forwards to the doctors but received no answers as to what was wrong with Tom until he collapsed and was taken to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Gateshead.
Tom, then 19, and his family were devastated to discover in January 2020 that he had melanoma - the most serious type of skin cancer - and it had already spread to his organs.
He passed away four months later in May, just after his 20th birthday.
Before Tom lost his life, he asked his family to grant his final wish - to raise awareness of melanoma so that no other person would have to go through what he went through.
His mum Amanda, 50, dad Steven, 51, and his twin sister Hannah, 22, decided to share his story and began working with North East charity Melanoma-Me, which provides counselling to those affected by the disease.
Alan Graham spotted a news video about Tom on Facebook and it prompted him to get his own mole, located below his ribcage on the side of his body, checked by a doctor. He found out he had melanoma but had managed to catch the disease in the early stages.
The 57-year-old said: "I watched the video and I thought that mole is not quite right. It was a mole the size of a finger nail, it was really dark brown. Something didn't look right.
"I went to the doctors and they sent me to the hospital. As soon as I went to the hospital they said 'It's got to come out'. I was diagnosed and operated on twice within three months of watching the video.
"If it wasn't for Tom's story, I would have just left it. I could have been sitting on a time bomb. If it's not dealt with it gets worse. The worse case scenario is what happened to young Tom."
Alan, who lives in Lowestoft, near Great Yarmouth, was diagnosed with melanoma after watching Tom's video in February 2022. He went on to have two operations to remove the cancer in March and April of last year.
Alan, who works as a logistics and facilities manager, now attends check up appointments every three months. He said: "You hear the big C word but you never hear about melanoma.
"It shocked me how young Tom was. You don't expect that to happen to a 20-year-old, you expect it to happen to older people.
"A lot of people just try and play it down and I'm one of them type of people. I didn't even tell my wife I was going in for the procedure as I didn't want to worry her, and it turned out to be a big mistake.
"I used to be a sun worshipper and I used to love a sun tan but since then I have to make sure I cover up well and put factor 50 over the scar. Get things checked, don't be a stubborn old man like I was!"
Amanda was thrilled to learn that her son, who worked as a cashier for Lloyds Bank and was studying chemistry at Northumbria University in Newcastle, had helped to save Alan's life.
She said: "I'm absolutely elated because we said when we first started 'even if just one person considers going to get checked out' and they did! It's making people more aware to go and get things checked.
"Tom's final wish was 'please mam don't let anybody go through what I have been through'. I was proud of him when he was alive, he made me happy and smile. Now I think he's still doing that.
"Nobody has forgotten about him, we're out there raising awareness and I think he would be like 'Mam this is exactly what I wanted'."
Last year, Tom's family teamed up with Kerry Rafferty, 44, founder of Melanoma-Me, to hold a festival in his name - Tom's Fest.
The event, which was held at his old secondary school Park View in Chester-le-Street, paid tribute to his life and raised awareness of melanoma.
They will now hold the festival for a second time, at the same location, next month.
Amanda said: "Tom was a very popular person so it's to keep his legacy alive and fulfil his final wish.
"He was a really good son. He was very loyal and very honest. Nobody ever said they didn't like him. He was a lovely, lovely lad.
"We're holding Tom's Fest in a school to raise awareness. Tom had never heard of it so we need to start with the young people.
"He said 'Mam I have heard of skin cancer but I didn't really know how it started or how bad it was'. I think there's a lot of people out there who aren't aware. They go and sit in the sun and don't wear sun tan lotion or go on sunbeds.
"Tom never sat in the sun and he never went on a sun bed. Tom had this mole, he thought it was nothing and he left it too late. Tom's was stage four, it had travelled to all the organs in his body.
"We were unaware of how serious it was and how it had affected the organs, it was a learning curve for us. We were absolutely devastated."
Amanda said Kerry provided Tom with support but he was unable to visit due to the covid-19 lockdown. She said that Tom urged her to visit the charity after he died.
She said: "Tom said 'Mam will you please tell me you will go?' - it's as if he sent me. Now I can see other people go through this and help them. We have got something going on all the time.
"Kerry is absolutely amazing. I class her as one of my best friend's now."
Tom's Fest will take place at Park View School from 12pm on Sunday, May 28. There will be live music as well as food stalls and kids activities. Tickets can be purchased on the Melanoma-Me website.
Mum-of-three Kerry, who lives in Washington, founded the charity after being diagnosed with melanoma herself.
She said: "When I heard that Alan had his melanoma diagnosed after coming across the article about Tom, it really hit home how important our work is. Especially with men, as men are much more likely to be diagnosed with melanoma at a later stage.
"I'm so thankful that Alan had the mole checked when he did and caught it early. I feel so privileged to be working together with Tom's family to fulfil Tom's legacy.
"As a 19 year old when diagnosed, a changing mole shouldn't have been a concern at his age. But it was malignant and Tom wanted other people to be aware that this could happen to anyone and his final wish was to stop other people from going through what he did.
"This highlights what a special person Tom was - that even in his darkest days, his concern was for other people. Tom's Fest is doing just that and is such a special event that is, and will continue to, save lives."
The most common sign of melanoma is the appearance of a new mole or a change in an existing mole.
According to the NHS, people should look out for:
* A mole with an uneven shape or edge
* A mole with a mix of colours
* Large moles
* Moles that change over time
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