A COURAGEOUS boy who is battling cancer got the celebrity treatment at a fun-filled awards party.

Rayaan Zafran, five, joined 20 other youngsters at the Cancer Research UK Kids and Teens Star Awards party, which honoured the strength of those diagnosed with the disease.

Rayaan, who lives in the Duke Bar area of Burnley with his mum Aneesa, was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia in 2016 when he was just two.

His nursery teacher had noticed he wanted to be by himself and was lying down a lot. Then his mum noticed he had a swollen stomach.

At the accident and emergency department, Rayaan started to develop red marks on his legs and the doctors initially thought he might have meningitis. But following tests Aneesa was given the devastating news that he had cancer.

The schoolboy had to celebrate his third birthday in Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital – and has undergone intense chemotherapy treatment as well as bone marrow transplants and lumbar punctures with drugs administered via his spine under anaesthetic.

Due to the intense chemotherapy Rayaan had less strength in his legs and it meant he could not walk for a while. He lost all of his hair and due to so many steroids in his body as part of his treatment, he was also very moody and short tempered.

Rayaan is now on the maintenance part of his treatment and has started school.

Aneesa said: “During Rayaan’s treatment he had to have a feeding tube fitted as well as a Hickman line to administer the chemotherapy drugs.

“However, throughout all of this, my son smiled through every step. He’s my star and is very brave.”

Held in partnership with TK Maxx at a venue in London, the talent show-themed awards party gave children and their families – many of whom have missed out on school plays and hobbies such as dancing and singing due to cancer treatment - a memorable experience together.

Rayaan took to a personalised ‘walk of fame’ with their names in stars and enjoyed activities including a magician’s workshop and acrobatic skills training, as well as practising their dance moves.

The afternoon also saw a special performance by CBeebies presenter Cat Sandion.