Joshua, 7, gets muddy to raise charity funds in memory of dad Aaron

HOLME PIERREPONT CANCER RESEARCH CHALLENGE

- By RUCSANDRA MOLDOVEANU

A DAD who died after a battle with oesophageal cancer will be commemorated in a challenge by his seven-year-old son.

Aaron Parker, from Nuthall, was diagnosed with stage four oesophageal cancer in 2021 and died in October 2022 at just 37.

The father-of-two, a gas engineer, first experienced problems in spring 2021 when he was repeatedly treated for acid reflux.

He and his wife, Chantelle, became increasingly concerned and Aaron eventually received the terminal diagnosis.

Aaron was told he only had a year left to live, with a scan showing his tumour had attached itself to his spine.

He had two rounds of chemotherapy, including a drug called fluoro-uracil, which Cancer Research UK helped develop.

The chemotherapy successfully reduced the size of the tumour. Feeling hopeful, the family embarked on a holiday in August 2022, but an ambulance had to be called when Aaron struggled to breathe.