A teenager who died weeks after donating his life savings to a boy he'd never met has posthumously won a prestigious award. Rhys Langford, from Ebbw Vale, was diagnosed with a rare form of bone cancer known as osteosarcoma at the age of 18.
He endured months of gruelling treatment and surgery but in January this year he was told it was terminal. After hearing that six-year-old Jacob Jones, who lived in the same village, was also facing cancer Rhys donated his £1,000 life savings to the family to help fund treatment.
Rhys, who died in February at the age of 19, went on to raise a further £67,000 to help fund treatment for little Jacob. He wrote at the time: "Reading about little Jacob and his own fight and his cancer relapse has really upset me. I know nothing can be done for me now but as one of my many last wishes I would like to help Jacob and help him fight this awful disease."
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On Sunday evening Rhys won the Unsung Hero award at the Who Cares Wins Health Awards 2022 at a star-studded ceremony at The Roundhouse, London, hosted by Davina McCall and attended by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and the leader of the opposition Sir Keir Starmer.
Rhys' mum Catherine, 39, said: "Rhys was one in a million. Even when he was dying himself he was thinking about others. Rhys was bedbound and I remember him calling me into his room. He said: 'It’s too late for me. I won't need money where I'm going so can I give it to Jacob?' I was absolutely dumbfounded. He knew Jacob was going through gruelling treatment like he'd done and he wanted to help even though it was too late for him."
Jacob was diagnosed with stage three blastoma in December 2017 and his family fundraised for pioneering treatments abroad. Jacob is now cancer-free but he will undergo regular checks.
Jacob's dad Alwyn, 38, said: "The fact that a lad of his age who was dying wanted to help our little boy have a life stretch out in front of him is something I'll never, ever be able to thank him for. Rhys is a winner and a hero in our eyes."
Speaking about Jacob he added: "His specialists seem to keep finding nodes. He's got some on his kidney and for around the last 15 months we've been fundraising in case he needs treatment in America again. The procedures, which Rhys helped to fund, reduce the risk of his aggressive type of cancer returning."
Jacob's mum, Emma, added: "How one boy could be so selfless to help another is just beyond words. Rhys was suffering so much yet all he wanted to do with his last few weeks on earth was help someone else. We'll always be thankful to him for helping our son. We don’t know where we’d be without him."
TV presenter Christine Lampard and Paralympic swimming champion Ellie Simmonds presented his posthumous award to his parents Catherine, 39, and Paul, 46, and Rhys' 10-year-old brother Charlie. Strictly star Ellie said: "Hearing how Rhys was thinking of other people at the end of his life was so emotional. Despite everything he was going through he still wanted to help other people."
Catherine described Rhys being honoured with the award as "bittersweet" but vowed to continue his amazing legacy. She said: "If Rhys was here he'd be grinning but he didn't do any of it for recognition. He did it because he knew that boy needed help.
"It feels amazing that Rhys has won. It's bittersweet though because if he was here he'd be absolutely loving it. He'd be lapping it all up like he was some sort of celebrity. It means so much to us. We miss him so much. Rhys didn't do any of this for recognition. He just wanted to help people.
"But he always said in the final weeks of his life he wanted us to go on and fundraise in his name in the future, which we will, and this is an incredible start of a legacy for his name to live on forever."
Broadcaster Christine added: "It's utter strength on Catherine's part to talk like that about her son. No-one can imagine what life must have been like in the last weeks and months. Catherine shows there's no limit to love."
Some of Britain's best-loved charity campaigners and famous faces were on hand to present the awards including Anthony Joshua, Martin and Roman Kemp, Harry Redknapp, Susanna Reid, and Mel B. The night also included video messages from David Beckham, Lewis Hamilton, and Olena Zelenska. The Sun's Who Cares Wins Awards, sponsored by the National Lottery, were be broadcast on Sunday, November 27, on Channel 4 and will be available on All4.
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