A LITTLE boy who underwent life-saving treatment after developing a rare form of tumour is now recovering at home.

When Ethan Cordingley was just a few months old his mum Kelly noticed a swelling on his shoulder which had the appearance of a birth mark.

Specialists diagnosed him with an extremely rare tumour, kaposiform hemangioendothelioma, accompanied by a life-threatening syndrome which can cause haemorrhaging and has a mortality rate of about 30 per cent.

Ethan went through chemotherapy to shrink the tumour and an emergency embolisation – a way of blocking abnormal blood vessels.

Now. following lengthy spells in hospital Ethan, who is nearly two, is now recovering at home in Fulford, York, home with his mum Kelly, 26, dad Chris, 30, and sister Ruby, four.

“Ethan is a little star. To still get up and do everything he does makes us very proud,” said his mum.

“We are feeling very positive. If he can go through all that and still be the way he is gives us a lot of hope. He keeps us all strong.”

She is now keen to raise awareness of the condition, which can first appear to be a birth mark, to increase the chance of early diagnosis.

“When we first got his diagnosis all we could find was a small doctor’s write-up on the internet,” she said.

“We were totally in the dark. There was no light at the end of the tunnel, we didn’t know anything about it, but now we do, so if he did have a relapse it wouldn’t be as scary.

“We have put the tumour to sleep once.

“We are lucky because we have a big family and we are very well supported.”