Jayden Lamerton, 6, dreams of meeting Mo Salah this weekend (Picture: BPM Media/Getty)
A young boy given just one year to live dreams of meeting his hero Mo Salah.
Jayden Lamerton has an incurable brain tumour, and his family are now focused on creating memories they can cherish.
The six-year-old, who has ‘always supported Liverpool’, was taken to the Royal Eye Infirmary in Plymouth in December last year after his eye ‘suddenly turned inwards’.
Just weeks later, Jayden was diagnosed with diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma (DIPG) after an MRI scan revealed he had a ‘lump’ in his brain stem, and he was given a prognosis of just nine months to one year to live.
The ‘beautiful, funny and cheeky’ young football fan’s family are now doing everything they can to help young Jayden’s dreams come true.
After starting a fundraiser on GoFundMe which has raised more than £43,600 so far, Jayden’s parents will be taking him on his first ever trip to Anfield this weekend, and said it would ‘literally be his dream come true’ if he was able to walk out onto the pitch with his idols when they play Chelsea on Saturday.
Jayden’s aunt, Lucy Rhian Dawson, said her nephew is ‘absolutely mad’ for Liverpool and it would ‘honestly mean the world to him’ if he was able to join them as a mascot and meet Mo Salah.
His mum Chelsea Edmonds revealed how the awful news the family received left them broken-hearted, yet determined to ‘make his dreams come true and make this last short space of time bearable for all involved’.
Jayden was given under a year to live after being diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumour (Picture: BPM Media)
She said: ‘Sadly, Jayden has been diagnosed with DIPG, a type of high grade brain tumour. High grade brain tumours tend to grow quickly and are more likely to spread to other parts of the brain or spinal cord.
‘DIPGs originate in an area of the brain, and more specifically the brainstem, called the pons.
‘The pons is an area deep within the lower part of the brain which is responsible for a number of critical bodily functions, such as breathing, sleeping and blood pressure.
‘Then the doctor explained, this is incurable and gave a prognosis for Jayden to live for approximately nine to 12 months.
According to Jayden’s Auntie, meeting Mo Salah would ‘literally be his dream come true’ (Picture: Getty)
‘Jayden will receive radiotherapy, starting in around two weeks’ time. This will be in Bristol every day for four to six weeks, to prolong his wellness and give him as much time as possible.
‘As a family, we are beyond devastated, angry and heartbroken. You never think it will be you until it is.’
She added: ‘We are now asking for help financially. For help with travel, petrol and hotel costs. Also to support us financially whilst we will all be taking time off work to go to the treatment.
‘But also, to help us create memories as a family. No family should experience this, there is so much we need and want to do, and we want to do as much as we can in our short time left.
‘We want to make his dreams come true and make this last short space of time bearable for all involved, creating memories that will last forever.’
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Liverpool-mad Jayden Lamerton was diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumour in December.