A STAR WARS movie legend has sent well wishes to a Kilwinning schoolboy battling five brain tumours.

Mark Hamill, who plays Luke Skywalker in the multi-million-dollar Star Wars movie franchise, tweeted young Kieran Crichton last week telling him “The Force is strong in you”.

The movie star – who has played Skywalker for more than 40 years – got in touch after a family friend tweeted a picture of 12-year-old Kieran wearing his new Star Wars bandana.

She wrote: “Hey, @HamillHimself can Keiran get a big hello from you? It would make his day! He’s been fighting Medulloblastoma since the start of the year. Check out his cool Star Wars bandana!!”

After seeing the tweet the 66-year-old actor replied: “Hello there Keiran! I hear you’re a Star Wars fan & that makes me a fan of YOU! The Force is strong in you & I send you all my best wishes. -mh”

Senga says Kieran was ecstatic to receive the message from his cult idol.

She told the Times:“Kieran was delighted. he was so chuffed. He couldn’t believe he sent a message to him.

“It was my friend Catriona, who is a Star Wars fan and has met Mark Hamill before, who set it up. She knew it would make Kieran’s day and it did.

“He is right in to Star Wars, he’s a huge fan and going to see the new Star Wars movie this week. He got Star Wars toys and lego from the Beatson recently too and we got him a new bandana after he lost all his hair through his treatment so for Mark Hamill to tweet him means a lot.”

Luke Skywalker says The Force is strong in wee warrior Kieran Kieran is currently on a six week break from treatment after six full weeks of intensive radiotherapy.

The youngster – dubbed “a wee warrior” by his family and friends was diagnosed in March with a rare case of Medulloblastoma – a brain cancer which mainly affects children, after surgeons discovered five tumours on his brain.

Kieran, who also has autism, underwent an operation at Glasgow’s Royal Hospital for Sick Children on March 2, to remove the biggest tumour and has been battling back every since.

The Kilwinning Academy schoolboy was allowed home during his treatment break but will return to hospital in a few weeks where doctors will assess his progress and determine how much chemotherapy he needs.

Senga, 48, says all they can do is hope: “Hopefully the radiotherapy has done a lot to reduce the tumours but we won’t really know anything for sure until they scan him again when we go back up.

“He has just amazed us all with how he has coped with everything he has gone through. He’s just amazing. That’s why I call him my wee warrior.”