After just one month of having the bike Eif started to complain of aching in his shoulder and pins and needles down his arms. At first we put it down to riding his new motorbike but as the pain and tingling increased we became worried that there could be a serious problem. After going back and forth to the doctors for six weeks and pleading for help they finally agreed to an MRI scan.

A mass was found on the vertebrae just below his neck which was putting pressure on his spinal cord. Eif was immediately admitted to Rainbow ward in Noah's Ark Children's Hospital, Cardiff where he received amazing treatment from the kind and caring team there.

He was diagnosed with Ewing Sarcoma and we soon learnt that Eifion had a tough fight ahead of him. Never one to back down from a challenge, Eif was determined to win this fight.

He had a grueling seven months ahead, 14 rounds of chemo in Cardiff and a six week stay in Manchester to receive proton beam therapy daily.

By the end of it all Eif was very weak but slowly he built his strength back up and had we the wonderful news that he was in remission and life could get back to some kind of normality.

Eifion continued to have clear monthly scans, however after an afternoon of clay pigeon shooting in June 2022 Eif's right eye was swollen shut. Worried, we contacted his team at Noah's Ark and following some investigations we were told the dredded news that the cancer had returned and this time it had spread to his eye socket, shoulder, rib, elbow, spine, hips and the lymph nodes.

Once again Eif took this news on the chin, stayed positive and just wanted to get on with the treatment. It was chemo this time followed by stem cell therapy involving 6 weeks in isolation on Rainbow ward. Eifion's body was put to the test again but he got through it and once home it was time for him to rebuild and carry on, by Christmas Eif was beginning to feel more like himself again. We were thrilled when we had positive news after scans and hoped with all of our hearts that he had beaten it for good.

At the end of the summer 2023 Eif began getting hip pain. We mentioned this to his consultant who couldn't have been more caring and compassionate throughout his treatment. She very quickly organised scans and tests which confirmed our greatest fear that the Ewing sarcoma had returned and this time there was no hope of a cure.

Eifion took the very brave decision to take the more gentle treatment that may not give him as much time but would allow him to spend his final months at home on the farm with his family.

Throughout his three and a half year battle Eif continued to live life to the full with a wicked sense of humour and a smile on his face. He never missed an opportunity to learn new skills and was lucky enough to have the chance to learn to weld with a very talented local fabricator.

Eif really enjoyed using his new skills to mend things around the farm. He was also artistic and became known in the area for making beautiful metal roses, one of which he sold at auction to raise money for LATCH (Welsh children's cancer charity); it raised £550 at auction, something he was very proud of. 

Eifion decided one day that he would like to go fishing so he bought himself a fishing rod and off we went to the coast, he caught a sea bass the first time out! 

While in hospital a charity very kindly offered to buy Eif a present so he chose a camera, although he had no previous experience or tuition he became a talented photographer and even won a YFC photography competition.

Eifion never let the disease define him and continued riding his motorbike right up until just nine weeks before he passed away.

We feel that Eif was able to continue doing lots of the things he enjoyed and we were given some more time to see him turn into the man he would have become because of the advances in research into treatments and all of the patient care that goes alongside it. 

As a family we believe that anyone who fights as courageously as Eif did deserves to win, that's why in memory of our wonderfully talented, kind hearted, beautiful son, brother, grandson and nephew Eifion we hope we can help to raise money towards vital research into this cruel disease, reduce suffering and see better survival rates in the future.