Rhys Russell was diagnosed with melanoma on his scalp in November 2021 and tragically died in March of this year and the young Manchester City fan has one final wish
Rhys Russell (left) pictured in hospital with his little brother Jayden who he loved playing football with (Image: Oli Russell )
A teenager, 18, tragically lost his battle with melanoma skin cancer, a condition that went nearly undetected due to his curly hair.
Rhys Russell was diagnosed with the deadly melanoma on his scalp in November 2021 and passed away in March this year. Minutes before his death, he cherished the memory of meeting Jack Grealish, his football hero, by watching a video of their encounter.
The brave young lad expressed a final wish to have his ashes spread at Manchester City’s Etihad Stadium’s memorial garden. Faced with financial hardship after funding his funeral, Rhys’ family has set up a GoFundMe page to fulfil his last request.
His father, Oli Russell, 38, who is currently training to become a nurse, and his mum, Lauren, 37, a community nurse, spoke with the Mirror about the tragedy. The revealed the need for greater awareness of melanoma, which ranks as the fifth most common cancer in the UK, with approximately 17,500 new cases every year.
The mum and son hugging during difficult final moments (Image: Oli Russell)Symptoms
Discussing the symptoms, Oli and Lauren, based in Cornwall, recalled the moment they noticed something was amiss. They said: “It was really weird because he went to get in the shower and I don’t know if it was the light or whatever but we noticed like a red patch on his head.”
When they questioned their son about any bleeding, Rhys confirmed there was, although there was no clear reason for the injury.
Oli thought it looked like a tick and he remembered: “Rhys told us, ‘Oh yeah, I’ve had that for ages, it bleeds sometimes but I’ve never said anything because it doesn’t hurt.’ We decided to go to the doctors to get it taken off – and it all kind of spiralled from there really.”
Lauren also mentioned how difficult the melanoma was to detect: “Yeah, because he had quite thick curly hair and it just looked like a mole. It was really bizarre. It was only because of the bleeding at the time, otherwise we wouldn’t have known for god knows how long. He must have known because he said it bled whenever he knocked or scratched his hair.”
The stepfather and son enjoying a drink together (Image: Oli Russell)
The NHS warns that melanoma skin cancer’s primary signs include a new mole or changes in an existing one, which can occur anywhere on the body, though they’re more common in sun-exposed areas. Melanoma is typically more prevalent in older individuals, making Rhys’ case particularly unusual.
Diagnosis
In November 2021, Rhys was diagnosed with melanoma of the scalp and by the following year, it had progressed to stage four. The UK sees over 20,000 deaths annually due to this aggressive form of cancer.
After undergoing targeted cancer therapy and radiotherapy for three years, Rhys’ condition severely worsened on January 17. Lauren shared the harrowing details: “He was just in absolute agony and by that time he was on fentanyl patches.
“He was rolling around on the floor in agony and we took him to hospital. They did X-rays and CT scans and that is when they found it had spread to his liver, possibly one on his heart, one in his left lung, two in his right lung, and multiple all over his back. There were actually two halfway up his ribcage. It was just horrendous.”
The young lad told his family of one last wish before he died (Image: Oli Russell)
Having witnessed such a heartbreaking situation, Oli implores everyone to be open about their health: “Just talk about it. I think there is a big misconception that people think melanoma is something old leather handbag people get because of how you are in the sun constantly and that is not always the case. It can be a genetic thing as well.
“If there is anything you notice on your body, even if it sounds trivial, just talk to someone about it and get checked because going through what we went through, especially in those last weight weeks, watching him waste away, literally not be able to walk, going into a wheelchair and be bedbound, and because the tumour was in his brain as well, it affected his behaviour.
“It is just… it is just surreal. But we are here now. We are trying to do what we can to help other people. My wife is a community nurse and I am a student nurse and I think we are both taking this as to learn from it and take it forward and help people. If we can spread awareness to even one person, then it will save them hopefully going through what we have.”
Last wish
On his birthday, Oli received the gut-wrenching news that Rhys had only weeks left to live. Together with his wife they vowed to fill Rhys’s remaining days with unforgettable experiences.
He was thrilled to meet his favourite player (Image: Oli Russell)
Rhys, who loved kicking a ball around in the garden with his brothers Peter, 17, Conor, 15, and Jayden, 11, was delighted to meet Grealish virtually through the efforts of the Make a Wish Foundation.
Reflecting on the poignant moments before Rhys died, Oli shared: “Ten minutes before he passed away, he watched… we did it through a Zoom meeting, and then minutes before he died, he watched the Jack Grealish video again. And then he passed away.”
Speaking about the virtual encounter, he recalled: “It was amazing. It was surreal. Jack was a lovely bloke and took time to speak to him and show him around and he was really nice. He sent him a signed shirt as well. Just thanking him for being his number one fan and to keep being brave – and we have that framed on the wall.”
Oli said his boy was “delighted” when Grealish sent the signed shirt (Image: Oli Russell)
Oli and Lauren faced the unthinkable task of telling Rhys about his limited time left. Rhys, displaying remarkable strength, communicated his final wishes during this conversation.
His stepdad said: “He was quite pragmatic and he said, ‘I want to be cremated and I want my ashes scattered at the memorial garden at Man City.’ We said we would make it happen for him.”
Rhys had the pleasure of attending a City match in October 2023 where they secured a 2-1 victory over Brighton, and it was the memorial garden he visited that day which made a lasting impression.
Discussing the GoFundMe, Oli remarked: “Because there are five of us, and we would be travelling to Manchester and staying and everything, we haven’t got the money to do it, especially after paying for the funeral and everything. A few people suggested a GoFundMe to help us get there.”
You can make a donation to Oli and Lauren’s GoFundMe page here