One Burnopfield lad will always remember his seventh birthday for the wrong reasons - it marks the day he was diagnosed with a rare from of cancer.
Adam Bannister was in hospital as he turned seven this February. He had been feeling poorly since Christmastime, but it had taken until the second month of the year for doctors to realise the issue: that he had a Wilms' tumour growing on his kidney.
After a "rollercoaster" seven months, he's hopefully on the mend - and parents Graham and Sarah have spoken about the family's ordeal. Adam is a patient at the Great North Children's Hospital and he - and little brother Logan - have been supported by the Sir Bobby Robson Foundation 's Gareth Williams. Gareth works to keep young cancer patients and their families active throughout a harrowing time.
Read more: Young cancer patients swap the wards for the fairways at Sir Bobby Robson Foundation golf day
Speaking at a charity golf day in aid of the Sir Bobby Robson Foundation, dad Graham told ChronicleLive : "Adam has a Wilms' tumour - a growth on his kidney. He was diagnosed on his seventh birthday.
"He was admitted to hospital a week before, but he was officially diagnosed and had his first chemo on his seventh birthday in February. At the moment he's done really well. He's responded to chemotherapy and has had two major operations. One wasn't successful but the second was incredibly successful - and he will hopefully be having his last chemotherapy by the end of October."
Mum Sarah explained that they had noticed something wrong in December. She said: "Around Christmastime we noticed he was poorly. He was coming off his food. We took him to hospital between Christmas and New Year. They did the regular checks but said he was fine. They thought it might be a pulled muscle in his stomach."
Both parents explained that Adam had continued to feel ill and reported lethargy, nausea and stomach pain throughout January. Graham said that, one night after the sporty lad had been at football training, "he was in the bath and his belly was swollen like a beach ball".
So as Adam's condition worsened, the family took him back to hospital in Durham - but were again told other issues could be to blame. "They said it might be constipation," Sarah added. "And sent him home with laxatives."
However soon after the family took Adam back in to hospital. Graham added: "A different doctor saw him and straight away was worried." He said all sorts of tests were done, and the family were sent to the Great North Children's Hospital.
Adam was then diagnosed, and - on his birthday - began treatment. Since then, mum Sarah said: "It's been a real rollercoaster, incredibly difficult for all of us." But like other young cancer patients, Adam has had Gareth on hand in hospital to cheer him up, chat about football and even sneak him behind the scenes at St James' Park.
"Gareth's been amazing," Graham said. "When you get put into hospital, they tell you all sorts of things to keep you occupied and kept mentioning Gareth. He's done so much for Adam - from getting him out of bed to just play FIFA to getting him doing all different sports."
Sarah added: "Adam's always so excited to to see him. Gareth's taken him on a private tour of Newcastle United, he was able to take the family - with all their cousins too - to a match too. He gives all of the families such support.
"He has that experience talking to people going through what we were."
The family said he'd been the first person to speak to Adam after some of his chemotherapy, adding that their son's "face just lights up" when he sees him. Gareth runs support service for paediatric oncology patients at the GNCH. Gareth works for the Newcastle United Foundation in a role funded by the Sir Bobby Robson Foundation itself.
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