Bradley Lowery’s mum reveals six-year-old mascot has ‘just weeks to live after tests show his tumours have grown’
THE heartbroken mum of Bradley Lowery has revealed the six-year-old has "just weeks to live" after tests showed a tumour has rapidly spread.
Gemma Lowery made the announcement about her son, who is battling neuroblastoma, on Facebook this afternoon.
She wrote: "Bradley has been having radio therapy to help control the pain he was having in his leg. This has helped but unfortunately pain has started else where now due to tumours growing all over.
"On Thursday after Bradley's last radio he took poorly and his saturation levels where very low (this is the amount of oxygen he is getting into his body), because we weren't at the RVI where he is normally treated the nurse had to get an ambulance to blue light him there.
"Once we were there Bradley's consultant checked him over and sent him for a chest X Ray."
"The results were devastating, all of Bradley's tumours have grown really fast. The reason his oxygen levels are low is because there isn't much room in his lungs now. I was told Bradley has now only got weeks to live because of how rapid the cancer is spreading.
"Yes I knew this was coming but I thought it was going to be months not weeks.
"My heart is broken in two, it is too soon for this to happen, it should never be happening to start with. My baby has had to put up with so much over the past 4 years and now he has to suffer a painful death. How is that fair? Why should any parent have to be put through this heart ache?"
The Facebook post has been shared more than 7,000 times.
Gemma made the announcement in May about new tumours which had grown in her son's lungs with the cancer spreading at a “very fast rate” through the little boy’s body.
Bradley was diagnosed with neuroblastoma when he was just 18-months-old and was the first patient in the UK to receive new treatment through an immunotherapy trial.
The Sunderland super-fan recently celebrated his sixth birthday and sent a heartwarming message from his hospital bed.
In his message, which was posted on his Twitter page, Bradley said: “Thank you for all my birthday messages everyone.”
Since Bradley was diagnosed Sunderland AFC has rallied round the lad and he has led the team out on to the pitch as a mascot several times, holding the hand of his idol Jermain Defoe.
The youngster has struck up a friendship with the England striker and other Black Cats stars who visited him in hospital when he was undergoing life-prolonging treatment.
The football mascot celebrated his birthday with 250 friends including his Jermain at an action-packed bash.
At the time of his party, Gemma spoke about Bradley's friendship with Jermain.
She said: "We are very grateful for Jermain to have taken Bradley in his heart.
"So Jermain's obviously now a friend of the family rather than Bradley's idol - although he is still Bradley's idol - and he makes Bradley happy and he makes Bradley smile, and it's just lovely to see him with him."
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