A brave teenager died in the arms of his devoted mum as he lost his battle with cancer.

Tributes have poured in for Jake Elphick-Cox, a pupil at The Thomas Aveling School in Rochester and an avid Arsenal fan.

The 14-year-old was diagnosed with a brain tumour when he was 10 and after months of chemotherapy he was given the all-clear.

But in September 2014, Jake and his family were told the tumour had returned to his brain and doctors had also found a tumour in his spine.

He had ground-breaking treatment at the Royal Marsden Hospital in Surrey, but after months of hospital visits and further chemotherapy, doctors told his family there was nothing more that could be done.

He died on Saturday at his home in Greenway, Chatham, surrounded by his family. His mother, Davina Cox, 43, said she was proud of her son. She said: “I am very proud to have been his mum and I feel like I’ve lost my right arm.

“He was born into my arms and died in my arms in his bedroom.

“I promised him he would not die in hospital, and I told him when he was diagnosed we would go through this together.

“Jake was weak at the end but still thought of others as he always did and even found the strength to write me a Mother’s Day message on Facebook while I was asleep in the middle of the night.”

Jake, who has a six-year-old brother called Joe, and two older brothers, Calum and Declan, would regularly go to Arsenal matches with his dad Colin, 46.

Many fellow fans have been following his story on the Jake’s Journey Facebook page.

One Direction’s Louis Tomlinson, who is also a Gunners supporter, tweeted: “Sad news about brave Jake Elphick-Cox a committed footie fan of @Arsenal.”

Piers Morgan also tweeted a tribute to Jake, who had met several Arsenal players and manager Arsene Wenger on his many visits to the Emirates Stadium.

Mr Morgan wrote: “RIP Jake, a young @Arsenal fan who lost his courageous battle with cancer today.”

To read the full tribute to Jake, see the Easter edition of Medway Messenger in the shops tomorrow.