ALEX Lewis was just 22 when he died in February 2011 from bone cancer.


But a remarkable film has made thousands of people aware of how much he fitted into his short lifetime and has raised £100,000 in his memory.


The former Wallingford School pupil from Brightwell-cum-Sotwell was the subject of the BBC documentary Alex: A Life Fast Forward, which first aired in July 2011.


The moving documentary revealed how he got married to his girlfriend Alison Strain five days before he died.


In October 2011, about 1,000 pupils at the school staged a charity walk to beauty spot Wittenham Clumps, and raised £22,000 for the Bone Cancer Research Trust.


Their efforts launched a series of fundraising events and the total amount raised for the charity in Alex’s memory has now topped £100,000.


Mr Lewis’s mother Angela, from Brightwell-cum-Sotwell, said: “Last year I was asked if we had a goal for our fundraising efforts in Alex’s memory and I suggested the figure of £100,000.


“The idea terrified me at the time, but it set the thought in our minds and motivated family and friends to keep going.


“I was thrilled when we hit the £100,000 mark, and we are keener than ever to keep going.”
Mrs Lewis recalled her son was passionate about sport, playing tennis for St Birinus School and football for Crowmarsh and Didcot boys teams, among many other sports.


She said: “This passion and zest for life was shown in the documentary and has motivated many others to get active in his memory and raise funds for the trust.”


Alex gained a place at Portsmouth University to study sports science, despite having surgery and chemotherapy.


Mrs Lewis added: “His dream was to complete his degree in time to work at the 2012 Olympics, but the tumours returned to his lungs and he was unable to continue his studies.”


This year fundraising events are continuing, with Matt Ebbs, 21, from Didcot, taking part in the London Marathon on April 21.


Sam Gillman, organiser of the Chiltern Chase around Ewelme, heard Alex’s story on a visit to Wallingford School and decided that the BCRT should be one of the charities to benefit from the proceeds of the 5km and 10km runs on June 9.


BCRT spokesman Sheila Sispal said: “The Lewis family are amazing and such loyal fundraisers for us – we love them to bits. The charity was formed in 2006 and since then £1.5m has been raised for research into bone cancer.”


For further information visit bcrt.co.uk