He was playing with his sister, running through the fountains at Alnwick Castle, when he noticed his mum on the phone. She told him that they would need to take his sister to the doctors as soon as they got back. She looked a bit worried.

His mum and dad were meant to collect him from school but instead his nan and granddad got him. This was excellent but confusing because they lived a long way away.

When his dad got in later that night, he explained that his mum and his sister would not be home until the weekend because his sister was having some tests done. His dad looked very upset.

His mum and dad were very sad, but he was pleased that they were all together and that his nan and granddad were there too. Even better, his other nan and granddad came to visit too and everyone had brought presents.

His mum put him to bed and asked him if he could remember reading about cells in his “Deadly Diseases” book. He said that he did. She explained that his sister had cells that were growing too fast and that she had a lump growing inside her. He thought carefully about this and asked if it would kill her. His mum said that she and dad would be taking his sister into hospital for the whole week for tests, an operation and some strong medicine that would make his sister very poorly but hopefully shrink the lump.

He was worried but decided to be brave. He was sad to learn that his dog would have to go to stay with his nan and missed her when she went.

She also lost her hair. He worried about her but wanted to be brave for his parents who sometimes got upset and sometimes angry.

Sometimes he would be picked up by different people after school and have to go to their house, sometimes for tea, sometimes for sleepovers. Sometimes he would not see his parents for days, knowing that they were in hospital with his sister.

Most of the time he knew what to expect, but quite often he didn’t know where he was going or what was going on. He knew that his sister was very poorly and that he had to be brave. He didn’t really know the people he had to stay with, remember that he was only six! Think how you would have felt. He had to give up lots of things that he wanted to do because his parents weren’t around to help him or to play with him, and even when they were, his sister needed a lot of care.

He even his dog is back, but his being brave isn’t over yet. His sister has to go back to hospital to check that the cancer has not come back, and will do for five years, all being well. His parents still worry. He still has to be looked after when they go to hospital.