A TWO-YEAR-OLD "miracle" boy has returned from America after three months of specialist treatment to prevent the return of an aggressive brain tumour.
Little Stefan Glasson is back home in Redhill and full of energy, despite enduring weeks of treatment. He is already a miracle to his parents after beating odds of just one in ten to survive an emergency operation to remove the huge cancer in February.
On May 8 he travelled with his parents, baby sister and older brother to America for three months of proton beam therapy, in a bid to prevent it coming back. It went as well as they could have hoped, although the family, of Feltham Walk, now have an anxious wait for an MRI scan next month to reveal the full impact.
"The doctors said he has probably got a 20 per cent chance it will come back," said dad Colin, 28.
"They are optimistic. Before we were looking at a 50:50 chance so it's definitely better.
"It's not just the cancer; there are the side effects of the radiotherapy that might affect him too."
Stefan had 33 rounds of the therapy while at hospital in Jacksonville, Florida, in each case being put to sleep while he was rotated around a beam accurately targeted on the source of the tumour in his brain for 40 minutes.
His parents have been warned Stefan may develop hearing, sight, movement and developmental problems as a result of the radiation, but if he beats the cancer for the next five years he will be given the all clear.
His mum Samantha Hewitt, 27, who is pregnant with the couple's fourth child, said: "It was really hard to see him put to sleep every time, it didn't get easier for us. But Stefan was really good with it. As we were driving to hospital every day he knew what was going to happen, but he was always really happy, he never moaned."
The family also made the most of their free time, treating Stefan and his siblings to trips to the zoo and Disneyworld.
It was made that bit better thanks to huge support from friends, family and Surrey Mirror readers. Although the trip was funded by the NHS, the family appealed for help with fundraising to ensure they could all go and afford to live in the USA throughout the course of Stefan's treatment.
They thanked everyone who donated, from family to businesses to complete strangers. Children even gave up their pocket money to help.
"We would like to say a huge 'thank you' to everyone who has helped us," said Mr Glasson. "We have had so much support."
Earlier this month the government announced £250 million of funding for two centres to provide proton beam therapy on the NHS here. The centres, in London and Manchester, will be finished in 2018.
