Kidderminster boy who thought he mad a mosquito bite was actually a cancer tumor

A schoolboy who thought a swelling on his nose was caused by a mosquito bite actually had a deadly tumour the size of a tennis ball growing in his nostril.
Matthew Kirk, 11, from near Kidderminster, Worcestershire, first spotted the lump on a family holiday but put it down to an insect bite.
But after it more than doubled in size his parents sought medical treatment and were horrified to discover he had a type of cancer which affects just 10 people in the UK a year.
The lump was in fact caused by alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma - cancerous tumours of the connective tissue.
The large mass had grown up towards his eye and across his top lip meaning conventional radiotherapy could have damaged his vision.

So he he was flown to Oklahoma for specialist proton beam therapy, which is not yet available in the UK.
His terrified parents, Joanne and Niel, 42 and 43, travelled with their son in January last year for the intense nine-week treatment that targets and destroys cancerous cells.
After returning to the UK, he underwent a final blast of intensive chemotherapy and has now finally been given the all-clear.
'At first we thought Matthew just had a mosquito bite because it was such a small swelling and we had just returned from Menorca,' said Mrs Kirk.

Over a couple of weeks it grew considerably bigger and it was only when a friend made a comment about his swollen nostril that we thought it could be something worse.
'Doctors initially thought it was a bacterial infection but after an in-depth scan they revealed there was a mass in Matthew's nose I was horrified.'
Mrs Kirk, a maths teacher, said the scans revealed the tumour had grown from his nostril towards his eye socket and around the lip.
Doctors took a biopsy of the tumour, and discovered it was a type which rapidly swells once disturbed.
He started a high dosage of chemotherapy and radiotherapy in October 2014 to shrink the tumour to a small enough size for the proton beam therapy to work.

Matthew's family started a fundraiser so that his whole family could travel with him to America and remarkably the local community generously donated the funds.
'As soon as doctors mentioned that he would need chemotherapy I burst into tears as it had suddenly hit me that my son had cancer,' she said.

At the time it never crossed my mind that Matthew could have cancer, because he was such healthy and active child, who was never ill nor had any time off from school.
'From there we were told Matthew would need chemotherapy and would likely need specialist proton therapy to kill off the cancer due to it being in such a sensitive area - near to his eyes.
'The treatment was very intense, which left Matthew's face burnt and peeling as well as giving him severe blisters in his mouth but we knew it was the only way to save our son.'
After flying back from America, Matthew was determined to go back to school and see his friends who welcomed him home with a massive cheer.
He has since been given the all clear but needed physiotherapy to treat problems with his balance and walking.
'We can't thank everyone enough who donated to help us be with Matthew during such a horrible time, as a parent it's one of the hardest things you can possibly go through,' said Mrs Kirk

Now I'm very relieved it's over and we all can't wait to continue with the rest of our lives.'
Birmingham Children's Hospital (BCH) reports that only 10 people in the UK are diagnosed with the dangerous form of cancer that Matthew had.
Dr Dave Hobin, clinical lead for paediatric and adolescent oncology at BCH who treated Matthew said it was a particularly rare form of cancer that occurs in the soft tissue.
'Matthew's treatment included intensive chemotherapy and radiotherapy, which can be demanding, especially for young people.
'Matthew was a real star, showing great courage and determination throughout this nine-month period.
'We're really pleased with his progress and delighted to hear he's enjoying all the things a young person of his age should be.'