A SURGE of support has flooded in for one brave toddler who is battling a brain tumour, and now tested positive for coronavirus.

Less than a month ago youngster Charlie Cook was diagnosed with a brain tumour at just 20 months old.

The football-mad toddler, from Reading, had been unwell for more than eight weeks, having lost his balance and was often sick in the mornings.

For weeks, GPs put the sickness down to a virus, before doctors finally gave the devastating diagnosis that he had a tumour on March 11.

Just weeks later, his worried family have now received the news that the toddler has also tested positive for Covid-19.

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Writing on an online fundraising page, Charlie’s uncle Bradley Palmer said: “My baby nephew Charlie is the happiest little boy you could ever meet, he is football crazy, loves to dance and race his bike.

“He is the light of our family's life, my sister's only child and my parent's only grandchild.

“He means the world to all of us.”

Charlie and his family face a testing six months after the youngster’s diagnosis saw him rushed to Oxford Children’s Hospital for more than seven hours of surgery.

Doctors successfully removed almost all the tumour but had to leave behind 1mm that was on his spinal cord.

Oxford Mail:

As a result, the brave toddler now has to undergo six months of intensive chemotherapy at the Oxford hospital, but having tested positive for coronavirus on April 3 his family is anxiously waiting to find out if that treatment can begin as planned.

The family has said it is ‘massively worrying’ but is hopeful the youngster can start chemotherapy on April 9.

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Charlie is likely to be an inpatient for the six months and will need a lumbar puncture to check for cancerous cells in his spinal fluid, before a PICC line is fitted for the chemotherapy.

Due to the coronavirus outbreak, restrictions are in place allowing only one parent to stay over with a child in hospital. This visiting parent is also not able to swap with the other, as restriction rules say it should be one consistent parent staying over.

The charity Ronald McDonald House, which is part of the hospital providing families with accommodation on site, is also full.

As a result, an online fundraising page has been set up for the family-of-three to help ease the financial concerns around travel and accommodation during Charlie's stay in hospital.

During the youngster’s last surgery, his parents Lorna, and Gary Cook paid more than £1,000 to stay nearby their poorly son.

On the fundraising page, Mr Palmer said the lockdown restrictions ‘leave many families who desperately want to be with their children with a massive dilemma’.

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He added: “As you can imagine all of their focus is on Charlie but as a family we know this is going to affect them financially in a massive way.

“Please help take away the worry and stress of money troubles so they can focus on caring for their beautiful little man.”

The page has already seen a surge of support from the community and raised thousands of pounds for the youngster.

It says all funds raised will go towards accommodation, travel, and living expenses to allow ‘mummy and daddy to be there for Charlie’.

To donate CLICK HERE or contact Naomi.herring@newsquest.co.uk - 01189 553 339