A FATHER will perform alongside his band at an event organised in memory of his son – who died of cancer at just 23.

Blackburn engineer Jake Turner died in September just a matter of months after being diagnosed with a rare type of cancer that affects only two in a million people.

A mass was discovered on the former Our Lady and Saint John Catholic College student’s spine following an MRI scan in June of 2019 after he began experiencing severe back pain and weight loss.

Two biopsies and a phone call from The Christie in Manchester later and Jake and his family received the devastating news that the mass was cancerous, and that the 23-year-old would need to immediately start chemotherapy for the Ewing’s Sarcoma discovered on his spine.

Speaking about receiving the horrendous news, Jake’s dad Pete Turner said: “His problems started when he started getting back pain around 12 months previous – he loved his mountain biking, so everybody thought he had slipped a disc or twisted his back somehow while he was out riding.

“But by last Christmas he had started to lose weight, so he went to the doctor who ordered him to go for an MRI. He was eventually given an appointment for the scan in June.

“He was sent to Birmingham hospital to see a cancer specialist but his first biopsy results came back inconclusive. It was after his second biopsy that we got a call from The Christie in Manchester and were told he had Ewing’s Sarcoma.”

Jake started chemotherapy in the middle on July but was admitted to the Royal Blackburn Hospital at the end of August after returning from an outing with friends.

Mr Turner said: “He came home from his chemotherapy that weekend and was feeling quite fit, so he went out with friends to the cinema. He came back and had a temperature, so we took him to the hospital.

“He was admitted and then developed pneumonia and was taken to the critical care unit. He was there for three weeks.”

Jake died peacefully in the hospital on September 10 with all his family by his side.

Now, friends and family have joined together to put on a special tribute night in his memory, in the hope of raising much-needed funds for charities Sarcoma UK and CLIC Sargent.

The event, which will feature music from local bands such as the Flying Starts and the Blowjangles – a group Mr Turner performs with, will take place on January 31 from 6pm at St Paul’s Working Men’s Institute in Blackburn.

Mr Turner added: “The idea came about after a conversation with some friends at the club, all we want to do is have a night in Jake’s memory to raise some money for the charities and awareness of the cancer.”

Baz Donnelly, trustee at the St Pauls Working Men’s Institute, has helped to organise the event. He said: “Jake’s parents are friends of mine and this was a very tragic thing that has happened to them, so we have decided to get this event going in memory of Jake and to raise a bit of money for charity.

“This is a very rare type of cancer, so it is a good cause to get behind and to raise awareness of.”