Why I stopped my young son's cancer treatment to allow him to enjoy his last days

Clare Ginns said: "There's only so much that his little body can take."

Ten-year-old Joshua Ginns has endured three major brain operations to cut away the cancer, which began to ravage his body at the age of four.

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But each time a small part of the rare brain tumour, called an ependymoma, has remained and grown.

His last operation, in August, removed 90 per cent of the growth and left Joshua in hospital for nearly 20 weeks.

Now his parents Andrew and Clare - who are divorced - have decided to stop his treatment to allow the youngster to spend whatever time he has left enjoying holidays, going to school and playing with his friends.

Mrs Ginns, 41, of Borrowash, Derby, said: "He's been doing quite well but they haven't managed to remove the tumour.

"He's still fighting but we know it's not going to be long. We're just playing it by ear.

"We have always known that one day it may come to this.

"We had a meeting with doctors and both me and Andrew decided there and then that we would take the opportunity to tell them we were not doing anything else. There was a lot of tears but it's not a way to live a life." Joshua, who lives with his mother and brother Thomas, six, was first diagnosed with a tumour the size of a tennis ball in May 2002.

By November, the cancer, a type of glioma that attacks the brain and spinal cord, had spread down his spinal cord and he was initially given six months to live.

The illness transformed the bright and intelligent chatterbox.

Mrs Ginns said: "He could talk a glass eye to sleep. He liked his climbing frame and he loved playing with sand and water.

"He was just your average little boy who really loved life.

"Now he's gone in on himself. He was always a thoughtful child, working everything out, but he's turned into a little old man. He really worries about stuff."

Mrs Ginns said she was grateful to the medical staff who have tried to help free her little boy of his disease.

The last operation, at Nottingham's Queen's Medical Centre in August, led to complications and Joshua needed a tracheotomy to help his breathing. He also contracted MRSA.

Chemotherapy has given Joshua bouts of vomiting and diarrhoea and caused him to lose his hair. He has also undergone radiotherapy.

Now Joshua's parents want him to spend his remaining precious years having fun instead of being inside a hospital.

Their first plan is to visit Disneyland Florida - a holiday that has twice been planned and twice cancelled because of Joshua's treatments and appointments.