'Lovable' Man, 20, Dies Months After Being Diagnosed With Cancer That Came From Mole

A 20-year-old man died months after being diagnosed with skin cancer that developed from a mole on his arm.

Tom Linton, a college student and bank worker from Chester-le-Street in the U.K., was diagnosed with melanoma in January 2020 and died in May that year, Chronicle Live reported.

Before he died, Tom Linton's final wish was for his family to raise awareness of the disease so other people would be spared his experience, according to his mom, Amanda Linton.

In the U.K., 16,744 new cases of melanoma skin cancer are diagnosed each year, and over 2,000 people die from the disease, according to the charity Cancer Research U.K. It is most common in people aged 85 to 89 years old, and rates have more than doubled since the early 1990s—almost tripling in men.

Being exposed to ultraviolet rays, such as from the sun or tanning beds, is a major risk factor for developing melanoma as this can damage the skin.

Having abnormal moles that are larger than normal or have an unusual shape or color are another risk factor for melanoma.

Kerry Rafferty, who founded the charity Melanoma-Me after she was diagnosed with the disease, told Chronicle Live that Tom "did everything right" by not using sunbeds, never getting sunburned, and using sunscreen.

Rafferty said: "I don't think people realize you can be born with melanoma, and it can be passed on from parents, and that it's not always caused by the sun."

To mark two years since Tom Linton died, his family and Melanoma-Me are holding a festival called "Tom's Fest," with performances from Pink, Freddie Mercury, and Dua Lipa tribute acts in May.

Amanda Linton described her son as "very lovable" and said he was popular and had lots of friends.

"Nobody had anything bad to say about him. He touched the hearts of everyone he met," she said.

His mom said her son started to feel ill and lose weight a month before Christmas in 2019. He then began experiencing chest pains and blue spots appeared on his body.

Tom Linton was taken to hospital after passing out while he was out with friends. Tests revealed he had cancer in his liver, kidneys, and lungs.

"I was rubbing his arm as he was in pain and I noticed a mole on his arm. The doctor said he thought it definitely came from that mole," Amanda Linton said.

For his 18th birthday, Tom Linton got a tattoo over the mole, and his artist had advised him to get it checked out at the time.

Amanda Linton said: "Tom never mentioned it to me, he was 18 and was so over the moon with this tattoo, the mole was the least of his worries.

"When I asked him about the mole he said: 'Mum, I really didn't think it was anything as bad as this'."

After Tom Linton died, his best friend Bailey Macdonald told the Sunderland Echo in September 2020: "Tom was the most lighthearted, cheerful lad that you could ever meet. He was always the first person to ask how I was getting on and the first person to comfort me during any hardship.

"I could talk about Tom endlessly, he's the best friend I've ever had, he's my hero and I know I'll do just fine in life with him watching over me."