THE family of a man who died after battling a rare syndrome - and five different types of cancer - will embark on a special trek in aid of the hospice which helped them through their darkest hours.

Steve Tinsley and his family spoke to the Telegraph & Argus last year in the hope of raising awareness about Lynch Syndrome.

It’s an inherited disorder that dramatically increases the risk of many types of cancer and Steve was tested for the condition after a string of devastating diagnoses.

After fighting since 2011, Steve, 61, was able to spend one final Christmas with his family before he passed away at the Marie Curie Hospice in Bradford on January 8 this year.

Now Steve’s wife Debbie, 59, and the couple’s daughter Donna, 36, and son Matthew, 34, are going to take on a gruelling trek in Nepal next month in his memory and to raise vital funds for the hospice. The family first heard about the trek when they were in the hospice with Steve and knew it was something they wanted to do.

"When Steve passed away, it felt like we needed something to focus on," said Debbie.

"They [the hospice] were absolutely amazing. I could not have got through it without them.

"We wanted to give something back."

A huge fundraising campaign was launched last year to help Steve undergo immunotherapy, but ultimately he was unable to have the treatment so charity donations to Marie Curie and Lynch Syndrome UK have been made instead.

Debbie is approaching the journey with mixed emotions.

"I think it will be quite emotional because everybody has got their own story to tell," she said. We'll be meeting people in a similar situation to us."

Speaking about the past year without Steve, she said: "I miss him so much. He was such a a big character - everybody loved him, he was so well known.

"It's just so sad - he just went too soon - he fought really hard."

She said he has left a "massive, massive hole" in the family. Despite their heartache, Steve will be at the forefront of Debbie, Donna and Matthew's minds as they embark on their special journey.

Another fundraising page has been set up by the family to raise even more money for the hospice.

In a post, Donna said: "We truly believe this charity deserve the funds we raise, because they provide the support and care to all the people and their families who are suffering with a terminal illness. We never knew much about Marie Curie until my dad was diagnosed with terminal cancer and still the stigma of it being a hospice was something we didn't want to face as we thought that meant that was the end of the road.

"I can still remember the day me and my mum visited the hospice to have a look round for my dad who was in so much pain at the time. They brought him in the same day and looked after him amazingly controlling his pain and lifting his spirits he stayed for a few days until he felt a bit better.

"It's not just a place you go to die which is what people associate when you hear hospice, it offers everyone so much more.The staff are amazing and so upbeat and happy, it has everything you could wish for when your forced to face up to a terminal illness."

Donate at www.justgiving.com/fundraising/tinsleyreynolds