Over four years ago, a young boy was diagnosed with neuroblastoma. This is a rare cancer of specialised nerve cells in children which is involved in the development of the nervous system.
That boy tackled the disease head on. While many would have given up hope, Bradley Lowery fought, and continues to fight to this day as he celebrates his sixth birthday.
Bradley beat the cancer once but, sadly, in 2016, it returned. Earlier this year, we received the news that it could not be treated.
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However, in that time Bradley has captured the hearts of Britain and beyond. He and his family have campaigned tirelessly to raise money for specialist treatment. And, although it may not be able to help him, the hundreds-of-thousands raised by Bradley will go into research to help other children in the future.
His mum, Gemma, told the Newcastle Chronicle that Bradley has an awesome party lined up for Friday. She said: "He's been excited about turning six for such a long time. It's a massive milestone. He's really excited to spend time with his friends. We've got a marquee, fire-breathers, stilt-walkers, a disco, it's going to be massive."
Bradley's Facebook page alone is enough to see why the six-year-old is a LAD. His parents wrote: "His tenacity to overcome this horrible disease became the focus of his campaign. A fighter, Bradley has inspired thousands of people in the community... he lifts the spirits of everyone he comes into contact with."
In the face of adversity, Bradley triumphs. He hasn't just sat back and let the disease get the better of him, he's fought hard to live the dreams of every child. Meeting his heroes and achieving things that only a handful of us get to experience.
One of those friends guaranteed to be at his birthday party is the Sunderland and England striker, Jermain Defoe. Bradley's favourite player of his favourite team. The pair met when Bradley was made mascot at the Sunderland v Everton game in September.
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But it went further than that. Bradley united football fans all over the world, even Newcastle, Sunderland's bitter rivals, presented him with a Black Cat's shirt. Jermain has spent time with him in hospital, and got Bradley to lead England out at Wembley.
And it gets better. There was even a petition for Bradley to present Chelsea with the Premier League trophy on Sunday. The champions meet Sunderland on the final day, and the club have invited Bradley down as guest of honour, although it appears that he won't be able to go to the game.
Sadly, it's not known whether he'll be able to make the trip, with the family already having to cancel a trip to Disneyland this weekend. On Facebook, his parents wrote: "Bradley is feeling a little better and his pain is slowly starting to improve.
"We have decided that we are cancelling our holiday to America as we were meant to go on Sunday and we don't feel he will be well enough."
Bradley's achievements have reached further afield than football. Back in April, he was given a horse which was named after him for The Grand National, and even better than that, he was allowed to sit on the winner.
His fight is so inspirational that he'll win the Mirror Child of Courage award this week at the Pride Of The North East awards - a branch of the Pride Of Britain award ceremony. His pal, Jermain Defoe will be there, too.
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Gemma Lowery said: "The award is amazing and he is very excited about it. We got him a new suit and he loves wearing suits so he was very pleased about that, and wanted to try it on straight away.
"We are overwhelmed to think of people recognising his bravery. We very much appreciate there are so many children who go through this and are also courageous. He is collecting it on behalf of all of them."
The story of his achievements is heroic, and we may know that the story won't have a happy ending, but all he has done - living his dreams whilst fighting the biggest of challenges - makes him a true LAD.
Bradley, you are an inspiration to us all. Keep fighting, and happy birthday, mate!
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