Adam Dealey lived life 'as if he knew he'd only be here for a short time', according to dad John Dealey who lost his youngest son to Ewing Sarcoma 13 years ago.

The lively South Hill School pupil from Boxmoor, Hemel Hempstead, was an avid sportsman who 'would not sit still' until he was struck with the disease in 1994.

Adam's discomfort was misdiagnosed as growing pains, a pulled muscle and fluid, before doctors eventually discovered he was suffering from bone cancer.

Mr Dealey said: "People with Ewings are mostly diagnosed incorrectly and, as in Adams case, it's very often too late.

"He had emergency surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy and they thought they had got rid of all of it, but he had a scan in the April and they just told us that there was nothing they could do."

Adam died three months later on July 15, 1995.

Mr Dealey, 59, his wife Marian, 55, and their son Justin, 27, have since worked tirelessly to help families in similar circumstances.

Their objective is raise awareness of the disease, that affects around 50 children and young people in the UK each year, and prompt more cases of early diagnosis.

The Adam Dealey Foundation works in partnership with the Bone Cancer Research Trust, of which Mr Dealey is deputy chair.

Together they staged the first Bone Cancer Awareness Week in June this year and huge fundraising efforts have been made in Adam's name, from football tournaments hosted by Comets, to sponsorship from Mr Dealey's employer, Virgin Management.

The foundation's annual golf day and gala dinner, held in St Albans on Friday, October 10, raised a staggering £18,800 and took the charity's fundraising total to a quarter of million pounds.

Mr Dealey said: "Adam was always on the go and wouldn't sit still.

"It's as if he knew he'd only be here for a short time and he put everything in to whatever he was doing.

"The disease took him so quickly, we had no idea that he could have something so serious.

"Families in that position can feel completely and utterly lost, but the work we do and support we offer can bring them some comfort."

More information on the Adam Dealey Foundation can be found at www.adamdealey.org, for details about the Bone Cancer Research Trust please visit www.bcrt.org.uk