The parents of a 21-year-old man who died of cancer have paid tribute to his courageous fight while raising awareness of the illness, which has a high survival rate if diagnosed early.

Former Clarendon College pupil Andrew Nankivell died at home in Cornbrash Rise, Hilperton, on October 25, with family around him, supported by staff from Dorothy House Hospice in Winsley.

His mother Lesley, 51, and father Bill, 52, said the Hodgkin’s Lymphoma he was diagnosed with at 17 never held him back.

Mrs Nankivell said: “He took it all in his stride, he was going to fight it all the way. He was very positive about things. He spent a lot of time going backwards and forwards to the Royal United Hospital in Bath and they loved him there.

“We didn’t realise how popular he was, but we are understanding that more now from people who knew him.

“People couldn’t believe what he was going through and still kept positive.”

The couple said their ‘remarkable’ son had passed A-levels in biology, science and maths despite battling the illness and undergoing a bone marrow transplant in the last four years.

Andrew gained a place at the University of the West of England in Bristol to study nursing, but had to defer twice because of his illness. He never started the course.

He worked when he could at the Budgens store in Paxcroft Mead and was a keen Southampton Football Club supporter.

Both parents recalled happy family times, including holidays to Florida, Andrew’s love of music and of rollercoasters.

He also enjoyed spending time with his 17-year-old sister Chloe and sang to her when playing the guitar.

Mr Nankivell, who works for Airbus in Bristol, said his son’s funeral on November 4 at West Wiltshire Crematorium had been packed.

He said: “There was standing room only. People his age and people from Dorothy House, who were a wonderful support to us, were there.”

He said his son had once dreamed of joining the RAF, but had been inspired by the medical profession as a result of his many trips to hospital and the people he met.

The couple said their son’s illness was a learning curve for them too, as they had little knowledge of Hodgkin’s Lymphoma, a form of cancer most common in people aged between 15 and 35 and the over 55s.

It is one of the most curable forms of the disease and is survivable in 90 per cent of cases when detected early.

Mr Nankivell said: “We don’t want to alarm or worry people but we want to make people aware of the symptoms.”

Mrs Nankivell said symptoms can be similar to those in cases of glandular fever and can include night sweats and swollen neck glands.

She said: “I just think people should trust their instincts and if they think there is something wrong then they should get it checked.”