Tributes paid as Telford teenager loses battle with rare brain tumour

Lucas Harris died after a long battle with Chordoma, a rare, slow-growing tumour which his family understand is one of only a handful ever seen at Birmingham Children's Hospital, where he had the majority of his treatment.

His family today paid tribute to him, saying he will leave "a big gap for such a small person".

Lucas, a pupil at Madeley Academy, was diagnosed with the tumour just weeks after birth and underwent his first operation at just three months old.

The tumour normally affects older men, and in the first years of life, Lucas underwent four operations.

At 18 months, he was named by Cancer Research UK as a Little Star by Cancer Research UK for his bravery.

In recent years he had further operations lasting 14 and 17 hours in a bid to reduce the size of the tumour, along with further chemotherapy treatment.

But in May of this year, they were told that the tumour had got worse, and in early August, he fell in the bath, at home in Madeley, hurting his arm. He died on August 31.

His mother Kerry O'Dowd, 36, said he had never been quite the same since the injury.

She said they took him into hospital a few days before he died, adding: "When we got there, they didn't have to say anything to me, I just knew.

"They told us that since May they had been planning to use an experimental drug on Lucas but that things had progressed.

"Because his tumour was quite slow growing, it normally gave them a bit of time."

Despite walking with a frame and being peg-fed, Lucas has lived a full life, turning his hands to all sorts of crafts and making friends wherever he went.

She said: "He loved cooking, even though he could never eat what he made.

"He was a real prankster, if you left a drink out on the side he would put salt in it. I put on a pair of shoes the other day and he had put a piece of wood inside them.

"He was so quick and so funny."

He and his mother had a special bond and he would often refer to her as 'Babes'.

She added: "He was really special.

"He was so loved, wherever we went people just took to him. He loved life, he really did."

An example of the joy that Lucas brought to those he met is with his relationship with DJ Dougie, a performer in Benidorm who he met on holiday. The pair were thick as thieves during the trip and kept in contact on Facebook when Lucas came home.

DJ Dougie had been trying to arrange tickets for Lucas to see his favourite team Manchester United, and had got him a shirt signed by Romelu Lukaku, but the family say it only arrived after Lucas passed away.

Kerry said he also loved school and was "very bright".

Lucas's funeral will be held on September 19 at Telford Crematorium. But it is not the end of the hospital visits for the family, who also have 17-year-old son Jordan, will be taking other son Connor, 14, for a scan the following day for his own brain tumour.

Connor, who is also autistic, was diagnosed with a non-malignant brain tumour four years ago and has been undergoing his own surgery and treatment at the Birmingham Children's Hospital.

Dad, Michael, 40, added: "I don't want to go there, I don't want to walk through the doors where we walked through with him.

"But it will give me an opportunity to thank all the doctors and nurses because they couldn't have done any more."

The family have in particular paid tribute to Mr Guirish Solanki, the neurosurgeon who treated Lucas from birth, who they say treated him as a friend and could not have done more for him.

Michael added: "He is a guardian angel. I know he did everything he could for Lucas.

"The two had a special bond."

Lucas's favourite colour was yellow, so the family have arranged to have his coffin painted yellow, and it will be covered in Lego stickers, which was one of his favourite things.

Guests have been asked to wear yellow, and people from Madeley's Royal British Legion, where Lucas was a regular visitor, will play a Last Post in his honour.

He had also hoped to travel to Scotland to see Bagpipers, so a piper will also play at his funeral.

The family say they have been "overwhelmed" by the love that has been shown for Lucas since he died.

A fundraising page has been set up for the family at gofundme.com/help-lucas-and-his-family