My son-in-law began to lose weight – doctors thought it was cancer but the truth was even worse

A HEARTBROKEN dad has told how his son-in-law died suddenly on New Year's Day from an incurable rare disease.

Jason Tolson, 30, had been complaining of muscle aches, hair loss and joint pain and was rapidly losing weight.

He was taken to hospital six weeks ago after his health deteriorated so badly he was left unable to walk.

Tragically he was diagnosed with Anti-MDA5 Dermatomyositis - an auto-immune disease that targets the lungs.

On January 1, his family made the agonising decision to remove the oxygen that was keeping him alive.

Jason's father-in-law Dean Blakeley has now spoken of his pain following the tragedy.

He told : "He was going to die so we made the decision to not make him suffer anymore, he passed away in about 10 minutes of his oxygen being removed.

"It was awful because he was so looking forward to getting out and had made big plans.

"The first thing he wanted to do was to go to TGI Fridays. We thought he would've been home for Christmas."

Jason first began to feel unwell in May last year with medics eventually running tests after he developed sores on his body.

He underwent numerous CT scans and MRI scans to search for cancer, which doctors believed he had at the time.

After he was admitted to Pontefract hospital, Jason's family were told he did not have the disease.

Dean said: "It was a big relief when we knew it wasn't cancer, we thought 'oh great this is it now he will get better'."

But Jason was transferred to Pinderfields hospital amid fears he could have a problem with his immune system.