A teenager from Oldham has been described as an "incredible inspiration" as he continues his "gruelling" battle with cancer.
Jake Last was playing as a goalkeeper for Burnley FC's under-14s academy team in 2022 when he complained of pain in his right knee.
Tests led to him being diagnosed with osteosarcoma cancer, a type of bone cancer, in March 2022.
Jake, 15, underwent 16 weeks of chemotherapy at Manchester Children’s Hospital and before having surgery in Birmingham to replace his knee, tibia and femur with titanium implants.
He then needed 14 more weeks of chemotherapy back at Manchester Children’s Hospital to "mop up" remaining cancerous cells and in May last year, Jake rang the bell as there was no sign of the cancer in his body.
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After going through "gruelling" sessions of physiotherapy and hydrotherapy to enable him to walk again, an MRI scan in October last year showed the cancer had returned in his hip.
Jake, a Manchester United fan, began a new chemotherapy treatment in February and is set to finish in June.
In July, Jake will undergo surgery, which will see his right leg and pelvis amputated, at his request, which will "give him more quality of life and less chance of the cancer returning".
Jake was an aspiring goalkeeper before his diagnosis (Image: GoFundMe)
Jake, his family and friends have been left "devastated" by the return of his cancer, and a fundraiser has been set up to support Jake and his family as their battle continues.
The fundraiser was set up by Chelsea Ashworth, the mother of one of Jake's friends.
To donate to the GoFundMe page, click here.
She wrote on the GoFundMe page: "Jake is an absolute incredible inspiration and has endured so much over the last few years and still has a long road to recovery.
"As you can imagine Jake’s diagnosis is impacting the family in every way possible.
"As a community, it would be amazing if we could all show solidarity and come together to help provide some financial support to relieve the additional pressure on Jake’s family so that they can concentrate on Jake’s treatment and rehabilitation."
An MRI scan after Jake's second lot of chemotherapy, the second of six, showed the chemotherapy was attacking the tumour and breaking it down, but also showed that there was a small cancerous tumour in his lung and a suspected tumour in his back.
Ms Ashworth wrote that the tumour in his lung had not grown since his first scan, and after his most recent scan, the radiologist had confirmed that the issue in his back is not cancerous.
The online fundraiser has so far raised more than £8,700.
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