THE mother of a ‘confident and popular’ man who died after a 14-month battle with testicular cancer has urged other young men to get themselves checked out.

Amanda Patton’s world came grinding to a halt when son, Reece, was diagnosed with testicular cancer in January 2018.

Following the diagnosis the 23-year-old immediately had the cancerous testicle removed and the family initially felt positive.

However an MRI scan later revealed a tumour had grown inside Mr Patton’s abdomen.

The former Haslingden High School pupil underwent 17-hour days of chemotherapy and initially responded to the treatment.

Mrs Patton, 42, said her son, from Haslingden, who was born in Blackburn, underwent three gruelling courses of chemotherapy and was set to have a bone marrow transplant.

However tests showed his body’s tumour markers began to rise and eventually her son became too weak for the treatment.

As a last resort surgeons removed the father-of-one’s tumour in a nine-hour operation in December.

Doctors later found cancer in Mr Patton’s liver but he was not strong enough to undergo further treatment.

Mr Patton died on Friday at East Lancashire Hospice surrounded by his family.

Mrs Patton said: “We are all completely numb. We’d think he was getting better but something terrible followed and it put him back to square one.

“The last 14 months have been a nightmare.

“Reece had fought and fought and fought until he couldn’t anymore.”

Mr Patton, the eldest of three children, had a big passion for music and managed to see rapper Post Malone weeks before he died.

Mrs Patton said her son, who had worked as a labourer among many other jobs, tried to remain upbeat throughout his battle.

She said: “He was a very confident boy. He was chatty and had lots of friends.

“He was a big part of the community in Haslingden and everyone knew him as a nice person.

“We were there at the hospice when he died, my partner and I held his hands.”

Mrs Patton said her partner Gareth, 39, who helped raise Mr Patton since he was eight years old, his siblings, Mesha, 18, Lucas, 11, and girlfriend Lauren Foster have been left with a big hole in their lives.

She said: “I want other young men to check themselves regularly.

“Men need to be more open about it and they should not hesitate if they feel something is wrong. Just go straight to the doctors.”

Mr Patton also leaves a two-year-old daughter, Harriet.

A fundraising page has been made to help pay for Mr Patton’s funeral costs. Visit www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/reece-patton