EXACTLY a year ago today, Miles Woodgate lost his fight for life.

The 26-year-old died three days after being told he had testicular cancer, a diagnosis his family says was too little, too late.

His devastated sister and mother will be spending the first anniversary of Miles' death talking to members of the NHS in Crawley about the treatment he was given.

The pair say the NHS let Miles down and are determined to find out exactly what went wrong.

Miles, from Crawley, first complained of abdominal pains in 1999 and repeatedly visited his GP and the town's hospital.

He was eventually diagnosed on April 16 last year and died three days later from a heart attack caused by the disease.

His sister Gervaise, also from Crawley, said: "It was clear there was something seriously wrong.

"He was losing weight, vomiting and very weak. Time and time again he complained about pains and was sent for blood tests but doctors did not know what was wrong with him.

"He must have had about 2,000 painkillers and anti-depression tablets prescribed but they were obviously not making any difference.

"It was horrible for us to see him. He was a happy and friendly sort of person who used to love going out and was full of life.

"He turned into an angry and fed-up man who could not understand why the doctors could not find out what was wrong. I think he felt they were not taking him seriously."

She said her brother, a courier, would struggle to work each day.

By the time Miles was diagnosed, the cancer was in his testicle, abdomen, lymph glands and kidney.

Ms Woodgate, 25, and her mother Pauline, have spent the past year trying to find out what happened.

She said: "The meeting today is with Crawley Primary Care Trust and we will be asking quite a few questions.

"When we realised the date of the meeting, the PCT offered to change it but we decided to go ahead.

"If we didn't, we'd be at home brooding over everything and getting upset. This way we are at least doing something positive and strong for Miles.

"It will probably be a while before we get any answers but we are determined to keep going.

"Miles was so angry at the way he had been treated and we know that carrying this on will be something he would have approved of."

The Government's health standards agency, the Healthcare Commission, is looking into the case.