A teenager from Ebbw Vale who raised more than £60,000 for a six-year-old boy with cancer has died following a long battle with cancer.

20-year-old Rhys Langford was diagnosed with Osteosarcoma, a cancer which starts in the bones, in October 2020.

Despite his own cancer battle, Rhys donated £1,000 of his life savings and raised more than £60,000 for Jacob Jones, a young boy also from Ebbw Vale who was diagnosed with Neuroblastoma in 2017.

Rhys passed away at his home in Ebbw Vale surrounded by his family on the evening of Tuesday February 8.

In a Facebook post, Rhys’ mother Catherine Langford wrote: “My warrior, my hero, my son, my baby has given up his fight.

“He lay down his sword and died peacefully at home with all his family around him.

“We are heartbroken. My life will never be the same again.”

Rhys was first diagnosed with Osteosarcoma in October 2020, and despite 16 months of intensive chemotherapy, blood transfusions and immunotherapy, was sadly told in January that his cancer had returned, and that he only has a few months to live.

After hearing of Jacob Jones’ own battle with cancer, Rhys selflessly decided to do all he could to help Jacob, starting with donating £1,000 of his own life savings towards Jacob’s treatment.

In a statement to the Chronicle, Jacob Jones’ family said: “We are deeply sad and upset to hear about Rhys’ passing. The love, compassion, strength and courage Rhys shared was unbelievable. He will never be forgotten and because of his kindness Jacob will have a better chance of battling whatever he is faced with.

"We will never be able show how much Rhys and his family mean to us. We are overwhelmed by the fundraising by Rhys and we are heartbroken and our thoughts are with his family."

Jacob Jones was diagnosed with Neuroblastoma in 2017. Neuroblastoma is a rare type of cancer that mostly affects babies and young children, that develops from specialised nerve cells (neuroblasts) left behind from a baby’s development in the womb.

Following treatment Jacob was found to be cancer-free in 2019, but after undergoing scans his family were told in December that his cancer had returned after a suspected cancerous lump was found on his liver.

After donating his life savings, Rhys went even further in helping Jacob by setting up a crowdfunding page.

Since launching on January 16, the page has amazingly raised over £64,000 from more than 3,000 donations, massively surpassing their intended target of £20,000.

As his fundraising page took off, Rhys has received numerous messages of encouragement and support from a host of familiar faces including Wales rugby legends Shane Williams and Jonathan Davies, as well as Welsh boxing stars Liam Williams and former world champion Joe Calzaghe, with all praising Rhys for his incredible selflessness and generosity.

A Facebook page dedicated to helping raise money for Jacob Jones, Jacob’s Fight, posted a message to “Jacob’s hero”, saying: “Fly high Rhys, we are all so proud and thankful for what you did for our Jacob.”

If you would like to donate towards Rhys’ fundraiser for Jacob please visit https://www.gofundme.com/f/rhyss-dying-wish-to-help-jacob-fight-again