Marcus Rutherford had every reason to live.

The good-looking and talented musician, was superfit, had plenty of friends and was adored by his family and girlfriend.

Then at the age of 18, while on a gap year, the former Rochester King’s School pupil was diagnosed with leukaemia.

After four years of chemotherapy, blood transfusions, bone marrow transplants and clinical trials Marcus finally lost his battle with the cruel disease.

In his final weeks, the remarkable 22-year-old old from Rochester launched the Marcus Rutherford Foundation – a trust to raise awareness of cancer in young adults, support those affected and research causes.

By the time he died in February 2012 he had invested his own money and briefed his father, Mike, to take over the cause.

Mr Rutherford said: “He was quite calm, sat me down and gave me strict instructions.

“He said ‘don’t go out with a begging bowl. Don’t sell it. If people don’t get it, they don’t get it’.

“It was like a reversal of roles. He was the wise old man and I was the child listening to him.

“Even when he was fighting for his life, Marcus was determined to change things for others in a similar position to him.

“Free help for young patients is the way he wanted it. As a result, a handful of patients without access to televisions, DVDs, phones and the internet are enjoying such things.

“He spent some of his own money doing that.” Mr Rutherford, 58, has taken delivery of a new multi-purpose vehicle which is serving as a mobile cancer awareness information point and registration centre for blood, bone marrow or organ donors.

He has started to take the £50,000 minibus, which is equipped to NHS standards and donated by Peugeot, on tour to schools, colleges and universities.

Over the bank holiday weekend, Mike took it to Reading Festival – one of Marcus’s favourite musical events.

"It occurred to me while I was sorting through Marcus’s things, he had records of when his next car service was due. It didn’t seem to make sense that you can have an annual inspection on a lump of metal but not on your own body" - Mike Rutherford

Mr Rutherford, a motoring columnist on The Daily Telegraph, has talked about his eldest son’s agonising ordeal to pupils at King’s, where he studied for 12 years, and at Rainham Mark Grammar School.

He said: “I picked up the keys six weeks ago so it’s early days.

“It has the potential to serve as a clinic capable of carrying out anything from annual health checks to blood testing.

"It occurred to me while I was sorting through Marcus’s things, he had records of when his next car service was due. It didn’t seem to make sense that you can have an annual inspection on a lump of metal but not on your own body.

“We are not here to scaremonger. It is just making young people more aware. Cancer does not discriminate against age or health. It can happen any time.

“So far the feedback has been favourable. A lot of young people want to donate blood.” He has received written endorsements from the NHS, Cancer Research UK, Macmillan Cancer Support and the Anthony Nolan charity.

He has given up much of his job as a journalist to concentrate on the trust. His wife, Yong-Sil, an airline executive, gave up her job to become a full-time carer to her son. Mr Rutherford said: “This is all about Marcus and not me.

“I’m not a religious man and this is not some kind of calling. But I feel he has given me a job to do and that I have role to play.”

Marcus was diagnosed in October 2007 after he collapsed on stage while playing a gig with his first rock band at the Beacon Court Tavern in Gillingham.

Mr Rutherford said: “With no prior warning, apart from a nasty cough and a few aches and pains, he started to feel terribly unwell.

“His fellow band members joked that he’d drunk too much, which was unlikely as he was a light drinker. Illegal drugs were out of the question. He didn’t even smoke cigarettes.”

Marcus spent the next few years being treated at Medway Maritime Hospital and University College Hospital in London.

Despite being told in the spring beforehand that he was in remission, the cancer returned. Younger brother Jake, now 24, had offered to be a donor, but was devastated when told he was not a match.

Yet he still embarked on a degree course at the University for the Creative Arts, passed his driving test, recorded an album, played at live venues across the UK and made several short films.

Less than a week before his death, he held a party for old friends, former bandmates, university pals and family at his home in Pleasant Row. He also chatted to loved ones individually to bid his personal farewells.