A teenager beat the odds to survive 'the worst case of cancer' a doctor had ever seen.
Ryan Savage, 13, was just three when medics warned his parents that he could have as little as two months to live.
Following an MRI scan in October 2009, he had been diagnosed with rare childhood cancer neuroblastoma and it was stage four - the most serious.
Doctors found a tumour wrapped around Ryan's spine and his horrified parents were told that his survival rate was just 5%.
Ryan, from Billingham, County Durham, features in a charity Christmas campaign for Neuroblastoma UK and his family hopes his story can raise vital funds for research into the childhood cancer and support others facing the same terrifying battle.
His mum Lisa said: "This year will be the tenth Christmas we’ll have with Ryan that, at one time, I never ever thought we’d have.
"Every time Christmas comes around, it's a precious reminder to our family that another year has passed since Ryan fought this terrible disease twice, and won.
"My son is my hero, my warrior, my survivor and my inspiration. We don’t know what the future will hold, but he beat neuroblastoma twice, against all the odds.
“More funding is needed to invest in research and give more families like mine hope.”
Following Ryan's diagnosis he was forced to endure a gruelling year of cancer treatment beginning with immediate chemotherapy followed by surgery to remove the majority of the tumours.
Afterwards he was in remission.
"Our world was turned upside-down by a cancer we had never even heard of before," said Lisa.
But two years later, doctors found another tumour in his chest and the consultant said it was the worst case that she'd ever seen.
The brave youngster again fought against the odds, undergoing years of gruelling chemotherapy and surgeries before Ryan, Lisa, his dad Tim and sister Annie were given the news the cancer had gone.
"Seeing what Ryan went through, it breaks my heart to think of all those children fighting neuroblastoma this Christmas," said Lisa.
"Little children simply don't deserve to be robbed of their precious early years, nor should they have the threat of their cancer returning constantly hanging over them.
"But there is still so much more research that needs to be done to prevent children suffering like Ryan did."
The Christmas campaign by Neuroblastoma aims to #GiveHope to families like Ryan's, by raising money for leading research projects which aim to deliver new, more effective and kinder treatments for children with neuroblastoma.
Katherine Mobey, fundraising manager at Neuroblastoma UK said: "With our new fundraising campaign, we want to give hope to more families like Ryan's.
"By funding more vital research, we can help scientists search for new and kinder treatments, give children with neuroblastoma a better quality of life after treatment, and move closer to finding a cure."
Visit www.neuroblastoma.org.uk/christmas to find out the best way to help.