A nine-year-old boy from Syderstone has been given a national award for courage after he was diagnosed with cancer on his birthday.
Daniel Blackshaw received a trophy and a certificate signed by celebrities including Mo Farah JLS and Steven Gerrard after he was nominated for a Little Star Award, to recognise the bravery of children suffering from cancer.
Doctors discovered Daniel was suffering from a rare typ of bone cancer called osteosarcoma in an x-ray after he was suffering pain from a playground accident.
His mother, Trudie, said: “Daniel is the most remarkable little boy. Throughout his treatment he has remained calm and cheerful and been incredibly brave.
“No matter what’s thrown at him he still cares about how other people are feeling.
“We are all proud of his quiet determination to get on with it no matter how scary.”
Daniel is now recovering after a major operation to replace his knee with a custom-made prosthesis which would be able to keep up with the youngster’s growth spurts.
Ms Blackshaw added: “He’s still in the wheelchair but he’s doing well. He has a lovely big scar down his leg and he can’t bend the knee yet, which is making things like getting dressed tricky.
“But Daniel is just so glad the tumour is gone that he is perfectly happy despite still undergoing a heavy course of chemotherapy.”
She said: “It does take it out of him, he had to have five blood transfusions before Christmas but we were lucky to spend Christmas Day at home.
“We spend so little time at home together that it was lovely to just relax as a family, although we were straight back in hospital the following day for treatment.”
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