Kidderminster teenager to be remembered through 'poignant' 100-mile running challenge
18-year-old Aaron Mills passed away in January after contracting meningitis B (MenB)
The father of a teenager from Kidderminster who passed away earlier this year has vowed to keep doing all he can to help others through his son's story.
First-year university student Aaron Mills was 18-years-old when he died in January after contracting meningitis B (MenB).
He had returned home to spend time with family over Christmas from Liverpool, where he was studying football science at Liverpool John Moores University, but fell ill, and was eventually rushed to hospital where he was treated but later died.
"Aaron was an incredible human being," his dad Anthony said.
"He had unlimited potential, he was very talented, but it was the way he carried himself that made him so special, he was just kind and generous to his core."
Following his death, Anthony said they knew he was fully vaccinated against meningitis but discovered he had not had a MenB vaccine, which was introduced by the NHS in 2015 to be given to infants.
The family, including Anthony's wife Deniz, then joined calls for those who were most at risk of getting it who hadn't been vaccinated to be given it, which resulted in success, with the government rolling out a one-off MenB vaccine programme.
It meant those who were born between 1 September 2007 and 31 August 2008 or those born on or after 21 July 2001 that were starting university or some further education colleges could receive it.
Now, in his memory, family friend Shaun McEntee is preparing to run 100 miles this month from Kidderminster Harriers' ground, all the way to Liverpool's, in the space of five days.
"I personally thought the most poignant and fitting challenge in his memory would be to walk to Liverpool and I was thinking about doing that," Anthony said.
"Then Sean approached me and told me that he wanted to run it.
"For him to say that, I'm just going to be 110% behind him and I'm going to do whatever I can to help him get there in Aaron's honour."
Day one will see Shaun head from Kidderminster's ground to the University of Wolverhampton, before making his way to the Harper Adams University in Shropshire on day two.
He'll arrive at Nantwich's Reaseheath College & University Centre at the end of day three, then get to the University of Chester for day four, before going from there to Anfield on day five.
While he admitted he wasn't much of a runner before this, Shaun said he has been training hard, and it is all about doing it in Aaron's memory and spreading some really key messages.
"Each day we'll be stopping at a university or higher education centre with the aim of raising as much awareness as possible about meningitis to try and prevent as many people as we can from having to go through it," he said.
"I just want to make sure that it is all for Aaron and I want everyone we meet, everyone we see along the way, to make sure that they're aware of Aaron's story and that it's personal to him as much as spreading the awareness."
The challenge, which is fundraising for the Meningitis Now charity, sets off from Aggborough Stadium on the 16 September in the morning.