Wigan mum and son are shining examples as they each battle life-threatening conditions

In the case of Sarah Whyte, it is a rare condition which has literally left her with a hole in the head. Her son James, meanwhile, has s beaten cancer three times and is now a superfit athlete.

James, from Ashton, was undergoing surgery and chemotherapy treatment during lockdown as he battled testicular cancer which then spread to his stomach.

He has been given the all-clear for the second time after ringing the bell at Manchester's Christie Hospital, although he still needs regular three-monthly tests and check-ups.

Now he has taken up a fitness racing challenge called Hyrox, where participants run 1km, followed by one functional workout station, repeated eight times.

James, 33, said: "I’ve had two fights with cancer. First time around, surgery sorted it out and was cleared in May 2020.

"Then unfortunately it come back in the December of the same year a week before Christmas. I then went in to three months of chemotherapy which thankfully worked and I was in remission again. I will be three years clear next month all being well."

He added: "Hyrox is something I’ve found that has given me a reason to train and look after myself, but also something that then helps me to be as healthy as I can be to try and fight against it ever returning.

"I've just done Glasgow Hyrox, which I got my personal best time of 1 hour 13 minutes which was 11 minutes better than four weeks previous in Manchester. The next one is May in London which gives me a goal to get even better."

James will also be competing in the Wigan half marathon on Sunday (March 17).

By an extraordinary twist of fate, his mum Sarah has also been facing her own major health battles.

Sarah, a former staff nurse, is one of the few people in the world to suffer from Gorham’s disease which, in her case, has already eaten away a substantial part of her skull.

The mum-of-three, 57, has been fighting the condition now for more than a decade. Although not a cancer, she also had to undergo chemotherapy in a bid to stop the bone disappearing any further.

She said: "I was invited to an appointment with a consultant in Madrid who I had met on a Gorham's convention in Dallas USA.

"I had many bloods and tests done in Madrid and he came to the conclusion that I should stop the chemotherapy as he thought it had halted the disappearing bone.

"I did as he said and fingers crossed the hole in my head doesn’t seem to be getting any bigger. I still have the constant sore bones, fatigue, and breathing problems which are all complications of Gorhams, but I’m just thankful the disease has stopped eating my skull, for now.

"I am on a daily collection of tablets and my daily living can be hard but we have to soldier on."

Both mum and son are also keen Latics fans. She added: "James is my inspiration, he has smiled and carried on - I am so proud. He is so special and gone through so much, but has thrown himself into exercise."