Owen Winter was just 11 years old when he was diagnosed with an incredibly rare cancer
06:00, 03 Feb 2026Updated 16:53, 03 Feb 2026
His story inspired thousands as he shared the harsh reality of his condition throughout 2025(Image: Supplied)
An “inspiring” Derby man has been fondly remembered by his mother after his tragic death, which came after more than a decade of tireless battles against a rare cancer.
Owen Winter was just 11 years old when he was admitted to hospital with what specialists thought was an abscess, but later turned out to be hemangiopericytoma, a rare form of tumour with no reliable treatment.
Owen, who grew up in Spondon and went to Borrow Wood Primary and West Park School, went on to have chemotherapy and a number of treatments – and at one point, regular scans showed the tumour had become stable.
This allowed Owen to spend much of his teenage years living a normal life, according to his mum, Mandy, who spoke with DerbyshireLive this week.
“He was a cheeky boy,” she said. “He spent lots of his teenage years out with his friends, causing trouble, often around the Spondon area, but they’d go to Chaddesden a lot as well.
He was also a massive football fan and had a season ticket at Pride Park at one stage.
“He managed to live such a full life, even despite his diagnosis and all the trips to the hospital over the years. He was so loved by so many of his friends, they all spent so much time together over the years.”
Owen was loved by everyone who knew him(Image: Supplied)
Things looked up throughout Owen’s teenage years, but took a sad turn for the worse when he was 18.
His treatment moved to Nottingham when he became an adult, and specialists found that his tumour had begun to grow again, and Owen had to continue treatment.
The family tried everything, from pioneering and experimental treatments to chemotherapy tablets, but the tumour continued to grow.
Owen’s condition continued to worsen over the years, but he often kept the details to himself. Not even his closest friends were aware of the severity of his illness, mainly because Owen didn’t want people to worry or see him differently.
However, the treatment failed and Owen was placed into palliative care at the end of 2024.
Facing months of hospital stays and near-unbearable symptoms, Owen decided he could use his voice to spread awareness and showcase the harsh reality of living with an incurable disease.
He set up his TikTok account, @odog4444, while he was in hospital and began sharing regular updates on his condition, while also keeping himself busy by conducting “taste tests” with his mum, remarkably managing to maintain his cheeky humour and heartwarming attitude the whole way through.
“Owen was known to some friends as O-Dog, so he made a TikTok account with that name,” Mandy added.
“He came to me and asked if I wanted to start doing taste tests on TikTok, after we’d spent so much time together in recent years.”
“He’d gone from being out first thing in the morning and not coming back until late, to being inside all the time.
“But we had so much fun doing it, and the whole thing blew up really. People loved watching his videos, and he loved making them.
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“It gave him a purpose throughout the last year of his life, and one of the things he was incredibly passionate about was raising awareness. We didn’t want anyone to have to go through what Owen went through ever again.”
Owen’s account received more than 40,000 likes throughout 2025, and the content has provided Mandy with a priceless video catalogue of Owen, who died in December.
His final video is a heartbreaking watch, and shows the 27-year-old side-by-side with his mum at hospital after waking up from a coma.
In the video, which has been seen more than 200,000 times, Owen said: “It’s been the worst night ever. I was in a coma… and I woke up this morning and they’ve said I’m going to die, and they don’t know why.
“So, I’m gutted. This might be the last taste test, but I’m going to try.”
He goes on to tuck into a couple of Subway sandwiches, along with Mandy and some support from his grandad.
He signs off the video by saying: “They’ve put me on DNR [Do Not Resuscitate]… so, I hope to see you again, people. If not, stay blessed, stay real… I don’t even know, Amen.”
Owen and Mandy during his final video on TikTok(Image: @odog4444)
More than 1,000 comments and hundreds of thousands of views have built up in the weeks since Owen’s passing, something which Mandy says has been “amazing” to see.
“The outpouring of support has been incredible. We just have no words,” Mandy said.
“It’s been a nightmare [these last few weeks]. We always knew there was a chance that it could take a turn for the worse, but nothing could ever prepare us.
“He fought the disease nearly his entire life, but the point came where he turned to me and said, ‘I just can’t do it anymore.’
“He had suffered so much, but it was just too much. He’s an inspiration to so many people. I don’t think many people could have fought as Owen fought.”
Various fundraisers have taken place since Owen’s death in December, including the sale of keyrings designed by Owen as well as a darts tournament.
More than £3,000 has since been raised for the E38 Ward at QMC in Nottingham, where he was treated over the last year or so.
“People have been so generous, and it means so much to be able to look at that number, knowing that it’s a product of Owen’s brave fight,” added Mandy.
“Thank you so much to everyone who donated and has helped in the last few weeks. We hope to carry on putting on more events and fundraisers going forward to continue honouring Owen’s legacy.”