Help bring festive cheer to kids with cancer like Zaydan ,4, who face Christmas in hospital by donating to The Sun’s Smiles at Christmas appeal

FOUR-year-old Zaydan Springer will likely spend Christmas Day in intensive care as he battles a deadly childhood cancer.

The 'cheeky chappie' was diagnosed with neuroblastoma last September after a string of misdiagnosis by GPs.

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Now mum Jamila is urging readers to give generously to our Smiles at Christmas with CLIC Sargent charity appeal.

She said: "As a mother, you have to trust your gut instinct when you feel something is not right. I felt Zaydan was unwell for a few months before his diagnosis.

"He kept collapsing with terrible pains in his stomach. He had no appetite and he lost weight very, very quickly.

"Even if he bumped something very gently, he would scream out in pain.

"I made many trips to the doctor but I really had to push to get them o take me seriously.

"He had a few ultrasounds around his third birthday in May last year but nothing untoward showed up.

"When we went back in September, it was very different. One minute we were told there was nothing, the next there was a massive tumour stretching from one side of his tummy to the other.

"I could tell straight away from the face of the man doing the ultrasound that it was not good news.

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"We were taken into a room and told he had cancer. At first, it doesn't sink in. I felt numb. It was almost as if they were talking about someone else.

"Not my gorgeous three-year-old boy who was so full of life. I kept thinking they would come back and tell me they were wrong, it was a misdiagnosis. But sadly, that never happened."

Zaydan had to have chemotherapy and then in December 2016, he had a ten and a half hour operation to remove the rest of the tumour.

Doctors warned that if it was compromising any organs Zaydan could afford to lose, they would be removed too. Fortunately that didn't happen.

The tumour snaked across his body, missing every major organ.

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Surgery removed 95 per cent of the tumour, but Zaydan still had to have high-dose chemotherapy afterwards to kill off any remaining cancer cells.

This was incredibly gruelling and left him battling mucositis, which causes sore blisters in his mouth and the lining of his gut.

He then had a stem cell transplant and 14 rounds of chemotherapy.

Jamila said: "He was incredibly brave for a boy of four. Normally this is done under general anaesthetic for such a young child, but he did it without. He sat so still and so brave to have it done.

"We were very proud."

Zaydan, who lives in Purley, Surrey, with his mum, 39, dad Shaun, 42, a marketing consultant and brother Ryan, nine, is now in the final stages of treatment.

He is being treated by a retinoid called
13-cis-retinoic acid. It's basically a type of Vitamin A but it can help reduce his chances of the cancer coming back.

There have been complications along the way.

His body has started producing extra antibodies as a result of his neuroblastoma and these are fighting his own immune system.

At the moment, he is in intensive care at St George's Hospital in Tooting, south west London, and he cannot walk or talk.

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Jamila added: "The outlook is positive but it could take a year for him to get back to his normal self. He will need therapy to ensure he can walk again, and talk.

"He still continues his fight against cancer and hopefully, once he’s got over this hurdle, we can continue with his treatment.

"Big brother Ryan finds it very scary. He has coped well but it is very hard for him to see his little brother with breathing and feeding tubes down his nose and unable to talk or play.

"They have always been close.

"Zaydan is the same as many boys of his age. He's a real cheeky chappie. He talks a lot and he is full of energy. His favourite thing is bouncing on a trampoline.

"CLIC Sargent have been an absolute godsend from the very start of our cancer journey. They have offered us both emotional and financial support.

"They have been there trying to put a smile on Zaydan's face whenever possible and that means so much to all of us.

"They have organised lots of day trips including a trip to Legoland via Taylor Made Dreams, which Zaydan loved.

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"They need money so they continue to help families like us. Just £5 a month can pay for two hours of a charity nurse's time. This enables children to spend more time at home.

"Donations can pay for social workers and play specialists for children in hospital. Please dig deep and give as much as you can."