BY ANY standards, Ben Roughton was a special person.

At the age of nine he won a scholarship to attend prep school in Shropshire and subsequently went on to study at Eton.

With three A-levels, a place at the University of Oxford to read engineering and computer science beckoned.

But by the time he was due to begin his degree, Ben had succumbed to cancer.

He died just after his 19th birthday in September, 1997.

The previously fit and active teenager was first taken to the doctors with what was thought to be a strained knee.

The injury turned out to be a tumour and Ben was diagnosed with cancer aged just 16.

His mum, Debra, says: "Ben was a bright and lovely lad.

"We had hoped at one time that he would recover. There was a time when one treatment after another was tried, but we eventually ran out of options."

A few months before he died, when he found out his condition was terminal, Ben set about writing an autobiography, The Ministry Of Silly Hats.

The book gives his views on life, the universe and being ill.

"We found out that nothing more could be done shortly after Christmas in 1996," says Debra.

"There were three choices. The first one was to do nothing, the second to do nothing for a bit and then go into a programme to trial new drugs and the third was to do that immediately.

"We tried the last option, but it didn't work out, and after that it was just a question of managing things."

Ben's parents and siblings were determined to make the most of their time with him.

"We tried to build some positive memories. We booked a family holiday to St Ives in Cornwall and had a canal boat break, which we all thoroughly enjoyed.

"He gave up his university place at Lincoln College in Oxford.

"By the time he made the decision to do that, it was obvious he wasn't going to be able to go.

"Ben was very mentally alert, but his physical capacity was dwindling.

However, Debra says Ben continued to be a positive person.

"The title of his book refers to the collection of hats he had to wear during his cancer treatment as he lost his hair," she adds.

The last sentences of Ben's book say: "Well we'll see where we go from here shall we? The journey has been pretty interesting so far."

After growing up in Stafford, Debra had married Trevor when she was 19 years old and Ben arrived 18 months later.

Three more children followed – Nick, Kirsty and Kerry.

Although Debra had briefly thought about a career in computer programming, she decided to stay at home and look after her family.

To fit in around their needs, she became a child minder, helping out with the mums and tots group at her local school when she could.

Three years after Ben's death, Debra heard an advert on the radio asking for people's opinions about the NHS.

But she wasn't sure what to expect or even if she was qualified enough to offer her opinion.

She had no clinical experience or medical knowledge other than what she had gleaned during Ben's illness.

But what she could provide was a patient's perspective on the NHS.

Now, 10 years later, Debra is about to enter her second term as a non-executive director of the Stoke-on-Trent Primary Care Trust.

She is a member of a board that oversees an annual £450 million budget.

"Looking after Ben was a bit of a crash course on how the NHS worked," she says.

"We saw a lot of hospitals over the time he was ill. I really wanted to get involved and help improve things for other families."

Debra, now aged 52 and living in Packmoor, has also recently landed a role as a public appointments ambassador.

The programme is designed to encourage more women, disabled people and ethnic minorities to apply for public appointments.

As Debra explains, public bodies such as the NHS are managed by directors and advisory committees.

These groups are made up of experts, specialists and lay members.

"Organisations such as the NHS welcome the views of non-experts," says Debra.

"If you come from a non-medical background, you'll ask questions before the decisions are made.

"You don't have to be an expert in the field to bring something valuable to a public body.

"Your work and life experiences are the skills that society needs.

Debra is encouraging stay-at-home mothers who help at pre-school clubs to think about the things they have been involved with.

She says those women may have organised events or helped sort out money from a jumble sale and could use their skills in a public body.

"There's so much that people can get involved with. Public appointments can be for everything from health to the police, education and the justice system.

"What society doesn't need is to waste talent, but sometimes people don't realise what gifts they have.

"They don't recognise that their experience is just as valuable as the next person's.

"People should be encouraged to be the best they can be and do the best that they can do.

"That was something Ben believed in as well as me. His opinion was that everyone can be excellent at something."