'We feared our son may never get to see Christmas'

When Karen and Adam were asked to enter a hospital consultant's room to talk about their son, the couple did not want to go, fearing it would be bad news.

"And it was - we stepped into every parent's nightmare," Karen said.

Their son, Max, was diagnosed with the rare blood cancer B-Cell acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL).

But two years on, Max, from Guildford, Surrey, is clear of cancer and looking forward to a Christmas his parents feared he might never see.

"It was such a horrible moment – being in there and being told he had cancer," Karen said.

"Everything went black. I'd never seen Adam cry before, but he did that day."

The first signs emerged in late 2023 when Max had a bout of illnesses and colds and stopped wanting to play football, his parents said.

The couple's worries were heightened and Max was taken to hospital for checks.

"I was in tears asking nurses what was going on and eventually we were asked to go into a room to talk to the consultant," Karen said.

"I didn't want to go into that room. It felt like as soon as we went in there, it would all become real.

"When the doctor told us, all I heard was the word 'leukaemia' and everything went black."

Max was transferred to the Royal Marsden Hospital in Sutton and joined the Cancer Research UK ALLTogether-1 treatment trial.

As part of his maintenance treatment Max has IV chemotherapy once a month at hospital and oral chemotherapy at home, along with five days of steroids.

His parents said the steroids made their son hungry and unpredictable, but the end is in sight as he finishes his treatment in January and is back to playing football.

Karen said: "Max has never questioned his treatment - he has such a calm and lovely manner. He doesn't realise that not all children have to do this.

"He just knows he has naughty blood cells and we are making them better."

Max is also the recipient of a Cancer Research UK for Children & Young People Star Award, which honours the bravery of children going through cancer treatment.

Karen, 41, an illustrator, and Adam, 42, a retail manager, are urging parents of children who have been diagnosed to take it one step at a time and to nominate their children for a Star award.

Cancer Research UK spokesperson for the South East Lynn Daly said: "After everything Max has been through, it's a privilege to celebrate his courage with a Star award.

"A cancer diagnosis is heart-breaking at any age, but it can be particularly difficult for youngsters - especially when many may experience life-long side effects from their treatment.

"That's why we're funding dedicated research to find new and better ways to beat this devastating disease."

Follow BBC Surrey on Facebook and X. Send your story ideas to [email protected]or WhatsApp us on 08081 002250.