A young lad from East Lothian defied the odds after he was told he might never walk again.
Aidan Hogg was given a devastating diagnosis in March 2021 when he told his mum one night that he couldn't feel his legs. He had complained of a sore back and it was first suspected that he had a kidney infection.
However, on a night his mum Emma Davidson won't forget, Aidan, then 15, came into her bedroom and said he was losing the feeling in his legs.
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He was rushed to the Royal Hospital Sick Kids in Edinburgh where the doctors discovered he had leukaemia with tumours putting pressure on his spine - causing him to lose the ability of his legs.
Emma explained that recently she had discovered that there was another tumour that was putting pressure on an artery in his back and if they hadn't begun treatment when they did, Aidan, now 17, would have been paralysed.
Speaking to Edinburgh Live, the mum-of-six said: "I'll never forget that night, it was horrible. But in a way, it was a good job that he came in and told me because he didn't look unwell or feel unwell. Aidan was just lucky the doctors found out when they did."
Despite the doctors warning, in August 2021, he took his first steps after five gruelling months of physiotherapy.
The 42-year-old florist and author said: "They put him through radiotherapy, at the Western General, and chemotherapy. Operating on a back is too risky and they thought the radiotherapy would melt away the cancer masses that were putting pressure on his spine.
"But Aidan handled it all better than I did. He was in hospital for 10 months in total and I think there were only two days where he said 'I don't think I can manage today, I feel unwell.'
"I am so proud of him. He would see me cry and tell me, 'I'm not upset, so you shouldn't be upset'. But I had to explain it's different for a parent. We can protect our kids as much as we can, we can tell them to wait for the green man before crossing the road, but we can't protect them from cancer."
Speaking about the time Aidan spent in hospital, she said: "It was horrible. My anxiety was so bad. But there's other families there too, we call ourselves the 'oncology family', it is so supportive but it's not a family you want to be a part of."
Supporting him from home were stepdad Craig, his sisters, Jamie 25 and Nicole 19 and brothers Ryan 22, Keegan 12 and Robbie 4
As part of a big family, Aidan sadly missed three of his sibling's birthdays while he was in the hospital - which Emma admitted was really hard.
She said: "We're such a close knit-family. When he finally got home, it was brilliant, we were getting back to normality and I remember on the first day he came home he was already squabbling with his siblings. I had actually missed that."
Aidan started physiotherapy in March 2021 and in August was told his cancer was in remission. While Emma says it took a long time, he got there and is now walking without any crutches.
The proud mum added: "He is doing so well. He's walking and he has just been accepted to college!
"When he was in the hospital, he said that he wanted to walk out of there. And he did! It was a slow walk, but he did it and everyone was cheering for him.
"We just feel so blessed as a family. Not everyone is as lucky as us."
It was her time visiting the hospital, where she saw the amount of children going in and out that inspiration struck her to create a children's book.
Admitting she had to wait until Aidan was better to start writing, Emma put pen to paper and created 'Hope The Hospital Fairy'.
"It isn't about cancer or anything specific, children can go into hospital with a broken bone or just for feeling ill," she said. "This book tells them what to expect, like when they weigh you and take your height. Hopefully it takes the fear away and makes it a bit more of a fun experience."
Emma explained that she wanted something positive to come out of the tough year, she added: "If I can just help one child not feel scared, I'll be so happy."
You can buy the book for £4.99 on Amazon or download free on Kindle. You can see more information here.
