"I wouldn't want anyone to have to go through what we're going through"
Frank Ashton died from Ewing Sarcoma in February 2019
The parents of a Harrogate boy who died from bone cancer have said they will never stop fighting to improve research funding.
In April 2016, when Frank Ashton was 11-years-old he was diagnosed with Ewing sarcoma, a form of bone cancer.
In the year following his diagnosis, Frank underwent 14 cycles of chemotherapy, two months of proton therapy in the US and an eight hour operation to remove the tumour and a substantial part of his pelvis.
But it wasn't until Frank started receiving treatment that his parents, Mike and Louise, realised how underfunded research into bone cancers were.
His dad, Mike Ashton, said: "If you'd have said to me three years ago I'd be doing these interviews or five, six years ago before Frank was ill, I was just completely oblivious to childhood cancers and most people are.
"Although bone cancer equates to 1.5% of cancers in the UK, it gets 0.02% of the funding. It's not getting its fair share.
"Research hasn't moved on because of it. Some of the drugs that Frank was taking were developed in the 50s and 60s and the most recent was made in the 80s. That's ridiculous because if more money was attributed to it there would be progression there too.
"I wouldn't want anyone to go through what we're going through. It's beyond the worst experience anyone could imagine and that's why one of our motivations to fundraise is so perhaps the next person who is faced with this there will be some alternatives."
Sadly, Frank passed away in February 2019 but today his legacy still lives on thanks to his family and local community who together have raised over £275,000 to go towards funding for bone cancer research.
More recently the family have hosted their annual Frank's Comedy and Curry Night, which his parents said were "two of Frank's favourite things".
St Aiden's High School hosted the event, which was MC'd by patron of Frank's Fund comedienne Maisie Adam, and over £9000 was raised to go towards vital research.
Frank's former primary school, Pannal Primary, held a bake sale to celebrate his 17th birthday in October; raising over £500. This will pay for 18 hours of research into Ewing sarcoma.
His mother, Louise Ashton, said: "Obviously raising the money is important but keeping his memory alive is just as important. We just don't want people to forget about Frank.
"When you look at how much Cancer Research has given to bone cancer in a year, we've managed to raise more than that as a small, local, Harrogate charity.
"It does tend to be younger people who develop this disease and therefore they lose more years of their lives.
"Frank had his whole life ahead of him but he just wasn't able to live it."
Since launching the charity, the family have garnered support from celebs like comedians Frank Skinner and Jack Whitehall, England manager Gareth Southgate and West End performer Carrie Hope Fletcher.
You can read more about Frank's story here and donate.