A BRAVE Kilwinning schoolboy is fighting for his life after doctors discovered five tumours on his brain.

Wee warrior Kieran Crighton has been diagnosed with a rare case of Medulloblastoma – a brain cancer which mainly affects children.

The 12-year-old, who also has autism, has already undergone an operation at Glasgow’s Royal Hospital for Sick Children on March 2, to remove the biggest tumour and has been left unable to speak or walk since the surgery.

Now doctors say they are unable to operate further and Kieran’s only hope is that chemotherapy and radiotherapy kill the tumours.

Kieran’s mum Senga, 48, has not left her son’s bedside since throughout it all and says she is just praying the therapy - which has a 55 per cent success rate - works.

She told the Times: “The doctors have said they can’t operate on his brain again. So that’s it. We are just relying on the chemo and radiotherapy working.

“He hasn’t been able to walk or talk since the operation and he is frustrated at times, but he is still coping so well with it all.

“They don’t know if the speech and walking will come back. It’s too early to say. We are just concentrating on keeping him with us and then we can deal with everything else afterwards.”

Kilwinning Academy pupil Kieran was diagnosed with the tumours on March 5 this year, but Senga, from Corsehill, says his health problems stretch right back to last year when he first became sick.

She said: “In November he got sick. At the time there was sickness bugs going around so I just put it down to that. Then leading up to Christmas and New Year he was losing so much weight I just knew something was very wrong. I took him to the doctor and they said it could be down to anxiety, related to his autism, but I just knew that wasn’t it.

“Then on February 14th I took him to Crosshouse because he couldn’t even keep any fluids down. They were going to send us home but I just refused. They eventually said they would give him an MRI scan and that’s when they found something on his brain.

“It doesn’t feel real when you hear that kind of news. You know what they have said to you but it feels like it’s happening to someone else.”

Now Senga says Kieran’s doctors are linking up with medics in America and at Great Ormond Street to see if there is anything more they can do.

She said: “The doctor’s said they couldn’t believe he wasn’t doubled over in pain because they had never seen such an aggressive form of Medulloblastoma.

“He is to have six weeks of radiotherapy then another four rounds of chemotherapy. At this point we don’t know how it is going to go, but I know one thing, I am so glad I stood my ground and refused to go home with him otherwise I don’t know if he would still be here.”

Senga says Kieran has shown himself to be “an absolute star” throughout it all and has amazed her, big brother Darren, 23, and all their family and friends who have rallied to support the family.

She said: “He is a fighter. He has been amazing. To think what he has had to go through and with his Autism I was frightened he wouldn’t react well to the doctors and being in hospital for so long, but he has just amazed us all. He’s our wee warrior.”

Kilwinning community's kindness

The Kilwinning community has rallied to help Kieran’s family deal with his illness and are hosting a number of fundraising events.

Senga says she has been touched by everyone’s generosity and kindness.

She said: “It’s been amazing. It’s not until something like this happens that you really do realise just how many people are there for you and care.

“There has been so much done for us already and I know there is more planned. It’s good to know that people are out to help you in whatever way they can. We feel very lucky.”

If you are having a fundraising event for Kieran contact the Times Newsdesk and we will publicise it for free, 01294 447521.