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A Lancashire dad will be competing in his first ever White Collar Boxing tournament this weekend in memory of his seven-year-old son who lost his battle with cancer.

Jason Whittle, from Croston, will take part in the competition on Saturday for Reuben who passed away in October 2019 - four-and-a-half years after he was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia.

He is also taking part in the boxing match which will take place at Bowlers Exhibition Centre in Manchester to raise money for Ronald McDonald House Charities UK.

The charity provides free 'home away from home' accommodation to families while their child is in hospital and supported him and his family, when his son was receiving cancer treatment.

Reuben, who has a twin brother called Rocco, was only two when he received his devastating diagnosis. He and Rocco both had the virus, but Reuben's stomach looked a bit different.

Jason’s wife Jayne - an assistant principal at Cardinal Newman College in Preston, said: "We took him to the GP and before we knew it, he was being blue-lighted to Royal Manchester Chilldren's Hospital and we were thrown into every parent's worst nightmare.

Reuben, (pictured) who has a twin brother called Rocco, was only two when he received his devastating diagnosis.

"Reuben's chemotherapy protocol was very harsh but having the House to retreat to made it easier for us and gave us somewhere special where we could make memories together with the twins."

Despite going into remission, Reuben’s cancer returned after a bone marrow transplant in March 2019. Rocco bravely donated his own white blood cells so Reuben could have a pioneering, targeted therapy called CAR-T, but sadly, Reuben died before he was able to have the treatment. Jayne and Jason began raising money for Ronald McDonald House Charities UK in 2016, when Reuben was still poorly. Through various fundraising activities, including 10k runs, a Three Peaks Challenge and selling homemade crafts, the family and their supporters have raised around £15,000 over the years.

Join our new WhatsApp Community to get the latest news and top stories from across Lancashire directly to your phone. Sign up for our free newsletters now After eight weeks of hard training, Jason is gearing up for his big fight on Saturday.

The 53-year-old Food and Service Development Chef at Blackpool Council said: "Although I did a bit of kickboxing 30 years ago, I've never stepped inside a boxing ring before and generally shy away from being the centre of attention.

"This will be nerve-wrecking but I'm doing it for Reuben and for other families like ours, who desperately need the charity's support."

To donate to Jason’s JustGiving page click HERE.

Lancashire dad to compete in White Collar Boxing tournament in memory of seven-year-old twin son

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