The family of a Plymouth vocalist who appeared on The Voice UK have spoken out following his death, just weeks after he was diagnosed with cancer at the age of 37.
Dean Boroczky, who performed under the stage name Dean Franklin, passed away from stage four oesophageal cancer. It had already spread to his liver and lymph nodes by the time it was discovered.
His family are now campaigning to raise awareness of the danger of persistent heartburn, after Dean repeatedly visited his GP over several years with symptoms that they say were dismissed every time.
Dean's mother, Marie, recalled: "He kept getting diagnosed with heartburn. He'd go to the doctor, and they'd give him medicine for heartburn.
Dean's symptoms were dismissed by doctors for years, according to his family
|HEARTBURNCANCERUK
On each occasion, the medication was prescribed without further inquiry into the underlying causes of the symptoms.
"He was getting pains in his stomach, and they didn't link it at all. It really wasn't picked," she added. "He wanted to raise awareness; he felt that something wasn't quite right, but he wasn't listened to.
"He was constantly in pain, and the hospital arranged for him to have more medication, morphine and things like that, and while I was with him then, I noticed that he'd developed jaundice and said I think we need to contact someone."
LATEST DEVELOPMENTS
Dean's condition went downhill in 2025 when he presented himself at A&E with worsening symptoms.
This was when a series of tests uncovered advanced oesophageal cancer, which had metastasised extensively.
Faced with a terminal diagnosis, Dean showed remarkable resilience. Marie noted: "There was a chance he could have immunotherapy, and a professor was doing clinical trials, so we discussed all those things.
"He knew there was no cure, we were told he could have 12 months if the chemo was successful."
After leaving the hospital, Dean fulfilled a deeply personal wish by staging an open-air performance in London that drew an extraordinary crowd.
"I'd say there were 2,300 people watching," Marie said. "He managed to do five different songs."
Dean's symptoms were dismissed by doctors for years, according to his family
|GETTY
The family had no idea acid reflux could lead to cancer until they went through this ordeal with Dean.
"As the oncologist told us, because of his age, you'd usually present to the GP with difficulty swallowing. It's very unrecognised in GPs to push forward for tests because of his age.
"It's very unknown, until we travelled this path with Dean, we weren't aware of it. It's really opened our eyes."
Warning signs of oesophageal cancer include difficulty swallowing, unexplained weight loss, chest discomfort, and persistent acid reflux or indigestion.
Our Standards: The GB News Editorial Charter