Man pays tribute to best friend who lost his life to Melanoma aged just 20

A man has paid tribute to his best friend who died from melanoma at just 20 years old.
By Sam Johnson
Published 15th Sep 2020, 19:55 BST
Updated 15th Sep 2020, 21:32 BST
Tom Linton (left) who passed away from Melanoma at just 20 years old, and his best friend Bailey Macdonald, who has raised almost £2000 for charity since in Tom's name.Tom Linton (left) who passed away from Melanoma at just 20 years old, and his best friend Bailey Macdonald, who has raised almost £2000 for charity since in Tom's name.
Tom Linton (left) who passed away from Melanoma at just 20 years old, and his best friend Bailey Macdonald, who has raised almost £2000 for charity since in Tom's name.

Tom Linton was diagnosed with Melanoma in January 2020, and sadly passed away in May after battling with the illness.

His best friend Bailey Macdonald was left devastated by the loss of his friend, and decided he wanted to do something to pay tribute to Tom’s life.

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Since then he has raised almost £2,000 for local and national charities through a number of events, including running 100 miles during August, with money going to Melanoma Me, based in Washington, and the Teenage Cancer Trust.

Tom Linton (left) who passed away from Melanoma at just 20 years old, and his best friend Bailey Macdonald, who has raised almost £2000 for charity since in Tom's name.Tom Linton (left) who passed away from Melanoma at just 20 years old, and his best friend Bailey Macdonald, who has raised almost £2000 for charity since in Tom's name.
Tom Linton (left) who passed away from Melanoma at just 20 years old, and his best friend Bailey Macdonald, who has raised almost £2000 for charity since in Tom's name.

Tom and Bailey met while at school and quickly became inseparable, looking out for each other and always being there for one another.

When Tom, from Chester-le-Street, was diagnosed earlier this year, he decided he wanted to raise money for charities who support people going through the same struggles as him.

After his passing, Bailey wanted to pick up where his best friend left off.

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He said: “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.

Tom Linton (left) who passed away from Melanoma at just 20 years old, and his best friend Bailey Macdonald, who has raised almost £2000 for charity since in Tom's name.Tom Linton (left) who passed away from Melanoma at just 20 years old, and his best friend Bailey Macdonald, who has raised almost £2000 for charity since in Tom's name.
Tom Linton (left) who passed away from Melanoma at just 20 years old, and his best friend Bailey Macdonald, who has raised almost £2000 for charity since in Tom's name.

"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.

“Throughout Tom’s battle with melanoma he kept this fighting spirit inside of him and had all the motivation in the world to conquer any obstacle in his way, no matter how hard the fight was getting. Tom is a massive inspiration to not only young people with cancer, but to everyone in the world who hears his story.”

Since May, Bailey has managed to raise £1945 for Teenage Cancer Trust and local charity Melanoma Me, based in Washington.

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Melanoma Me provides support for sufferers of Melanoma, and has been supporting Tom’s family.

The charity was set up by skin cancer survivor Kerry Rafferty and has since helped identify 49 cases of previously undiagnosed Melanoma with life saving training.

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