FOUR friends have put their best foot forwards to help a six-year-old Lower Darwen youngster suffering from a rare childhood cancer.

Ryan Page, the cousin of brave Theo Power, enlisted the support of four of his friends to take part in the Yorkshire Three Peaks to raise cash to help send the youngster to America for treatment.

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Since being diagnosed in July with neuroblastoma - an extremely aggressive form of cancer with survival rates of between 35 and 50 per cent - Theo, a pupils at Feniscowles Primary School in Blackburn, has undergone chemotherapy.

He will now undergo stem cell treatment and immunotherapy.

But in case he relapses, his mum Leonie and stepdad Ian Stanley are trying to raise £250,000 for the potentially life-saving Difluoromethylornithine (DFO) clinical trial, not currently available on the NHS, in America.

Graphic design university student Ryan, 21, from Darwen, said: “I was feeling a bit useless.

"I wanted to contribute to what’s going on at home.

"Instead of waiting for better weather and more daylight we wanted to do something now to get some money coming in.

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“We need to raise £250,000 for Theo to go to America following his treatment to help stop the cancer coming back.

"He needs seven rounds of treatment, and each one costs $15,000 and has to be paid in advance.

“Without the treatment, the chances of it coming back are high, and the chances of him surviving if it does are low.

"With the treatment in the US he has an 80 per cent chance of surviving.”

Ryan and his friends Tom Wilkinson, Chris Marsden, Adam Narramore and Matt Worthy, all from the Blackburn and Darwen area, put on their hiking boots and waterproofs and completed the gruelling trek between Christmas and New Year.

Ryan and his team have raised an impressive £1,500 towards the total by trekking the peaks of Whernside, Ingleborough and Pen-y-Ghent.

Ryan said: “The fact that we were all doing it together kept us all going.

"There was no moment when we thought about giving up. It was easy compared to what Theo’s going through right now.”

Theo is currently being treated at Manchester Children’s Hospital.

After completing his latest round of treatment he returned to Feniscowles Primary School last week.

Ryan said: “To look at him, apart from his hair loss, he just looks like any other six-year-old. His family are obviously devastated and have been massively affected."

To donate, visit https://crowdfunding.justgiving.com/ryan-page.

Since September around £35,000 has been raised. Events have included a football tournament, cricket event and Boxing Day dip with many more events in the pipeline.