HEARTBROKEN family and friends of Atherton teenager Daniel Berry have had their worlds shattered after doctors discovered his leukaemia has returned and told the family there is nothing more they can do.

The bad news comes exactly six months after Daniel, who celebrated his 18th birthday in October, underwent a "successful" bone marrow transplant and seemed to be on the road to recovery.

The Berrys, of Crosby Grove, should be celebrating the end of Daniel's treatment and looking forward to the future, but instead they are back in the same position as they were in February -- waiting for doctors to make life-saving decisions while Daniel lies poorly in hospital.

Doctors at Salford's Hope Hospital made the discovery after Daniel struggled to shake off a cold and on his parents, Elaine and Gary's request they checked his blood count and found the cancer cells had returned.

Elaine said: "We had meetings with everyone involved and they decided it's pointless him having more chemotherapy, since the cancer has returned. There is nothing else available in this country, which means the only other option is the clinical trials in Texas."

Daniel is too ill to travel for the treatment. The family is now being forced to play a agonising waiting game to see if the specialist treatment, which is unlicensed in this country, can be sent over from America.

Elaine said: "It had to be Daniel's decision whether to go ahead with it and it was heart-breaking to ask him. He said he wanted to try because if he didn't it would be like giving up and he has been so strong throughout he's not prepared to do that now."

"It seems so unfair. We are all in shock, we thought we had done it. We thought there was a future, now we are in a state of limbo, just waiting."