Brody Swain

I WAS very moved a few weeks ago at the Ricoh Arena after chatting to the husband and wife owners of a mobile coffee van called ‘Ben’s Blends’.

The business is dedicated to their son, Ben, who passed away in 2014 from Leukemia. It was a heartbreaking story, yet inspirational, so I invited them to join me on my afternoon show.

David and Lynne Parkhouse from Binley, told me all about their huge Cov City fan son, Ben, who was diagnosed in 2009 at just nine years of age, after investigations into why he was feeling tired.

Following his initial diagnosis at Walsgrave, Ben was quickly rushed to Birmingham Children’s Hospital where they discovered his blood was 99 percent Leukemia. This devastating news was a complete shock, especially when Ben had been playing football the day before.

David and Lynne told me how bravely Ben battled his illness and how he would often keep them going because of his wonderful attitude.

In 2013, Ben went into remission for eight months and was able to live the life of any other teenager, something he’d never been able to do before. However, in the November of that year, the family received the news that the Leukemia was back and their world came crashing down once again.

This meant Ben would need to have a bone marrow transplant. His big sister, Samantha, was a perfect match and she donated her bone marrow to him. The transplant didn’t work and three weeks later Ben passed away after suffering from a serious infection.

David and Lynne decided to buy the coffee van so they could do something together as a couple that would also honour their amazing boy. They see it as a great opportunity to talk about Ben.

David and Lynne’s daughters are also doing something truly wonderful to honour their brother and both work in the caring industry. Abigail, 23, works at Warwick Hospital on the Children’s Ward and Samantha, 26, is a Dementia Nurse in Nuneaton.