A RAPPER from York, who has battled with cancer himself, is urging people to come together to back a campaign fighting against the disease.

Scott Merriman, 30, grew up in Tang Hall, York and attended both Burnholme College and York College.

He was diagnosed with chronic myeloid leukaemia, a form of blood cancer that occurs when the bone marrow produces white blood cells that do not work properly, in December 2016.

He said: "Nothing can prepare you for the moment the doctor says the words ‘it’s cancer’.

"I’d never even heard of leukaemia and certainly didn’t think something like this could happen to someone like me."

He had two bone marrow biopsies and was prescribed a chemotherapy drug called dasatinib, which he remains on today.

Just two months into his own treatment, Scott’s family received more bad news when his mum, Gail, was told she had terminal lung cancer in February 2017.

Scott said: "Doctors at the time said she had only weeks to live so dealing with that at the same time as my own diagnosis was a huge mental battle."

Gail passed away in December 2017.

Scott is currently in the maintenance phase of his treatment and says a huge part of feeling back to normal has been getting back to the gym, as well as following his dream of recording an album of rap music.

Two months after his diagnosis, Scott started a YouTube channel called ‘The Leukemia Lad’ where he shares videos about his cancer journey.

His page has been viewed nearly 25,000 times by people right across the world.

Scott has branched out in rapping about cancer on the platform and has uploaded a range of tracks onto his channel including his Christmas song ‘Still Here’ and a motivational track called ‘Stand Up’.

He is set to release his first album called ‘Borrowed Time’ in late January which will be available on major streaming services such as Spotify.

Scott said: "I feel like I’ve been given a second chance and I want to make the most of life by making every moment count.

"If my music inspires other people to talk about the disease and raise their awareness, that can only be a positive thing.”

To show his support for World Cancer Day, Scott is wearing a selection of brightly coloured wristbands to show solidarity with other people diagnosed with cancer and is encouraging others to do the same.

World Cancer Day is an international movement, uniting people around the world on February 4 to beat the disease.

To get a Unity Band and make a donation, visit: cruk.org/worldcancerday