A BRAVE little boy who won his battle to overcome brain cancer has been given the VIP treatment by a children’s charity.

William Crossan was diagnosed with the illness in January last year, leaving his loved ones devastated.

However, the courageous Neilston kid was determined to fight his way back to good health.

A year later, after undergoing surgery to have a brain tumour removed, the football-crazy schoolboy is now well enough to get back on the pitch for a kickabout with his pals.

William’s proud parents Rachael and Billy already reckon he’s a wee star.

So it was fitting that the nine-year-old Neilston Primary pupil was treated like a celebrity when bosses at the Make-A-Wish charity agreed to make his dreams come true.

They arranged for a stretch limousine to collect William and the rest of the family from their home and whisk them away on a special trip to Legoland, in Windsor.

Security guards were drafted in to keep the paparazzi at bay as William happily signed autographs for the assembled crowd before heading off on his dream holiday.

As she joined her son in the swanky limo, bound for Glasgow Airport, Rachael told the Barrhead News: “Both William and his sister Sienna are really excited as this is their first time flying, even if it is just a short distance.

“We’ve never really had the chance to be out of the house and just enjoy each other’s company, so I really can’t wait.

“For about a year we were just ships in the night but the whole thing has definitely brought us closer together.”

It was towards the end of 2016 that William began to feel ill.

Not long after this, doctors delivered the devastating news that he had brain cancer.

Rachael said: “William was diagnosed in January last year but he had been unwell for about a month before that.

“He went through surgery to get the tumour removed from his brain and was receiving treatment until the end of the year.

“Thankfully, his scans are clear now and Make-A-Wish paid for us to go away as a family, which is great.”

William’s family are full of praise for the way he has coped with his illness.

After being admitted to hospital with violent headaches, doctors discovered a plum-sized tumour in William’s brain that needed to be treated immediately.

The type of brain tumour which affected William, medulloblastoma, is the most common form of brain tumour in children.

It accounts for 15 to 20 per cent of all childhood brain tumours and most commonly affects those between the ages of three and eight, with a higher occurrence in males.

As with William, aggressive treatment – with surgery used to remove the growth – can be very effective in treating the cancer, in conjunction with radiotherapy and chemotherapy.

Having returned to school full-time last month, he is also back playing sport as a member of the Arthurlie 2008s football team.

But the biggest difference recently has been the ability for the family to enjoy their time together after a very stressful period.

This was continued over the weekend as they enjoyed everything that Legoland has to offer, as well as taking some time to themselves by the pool.

The weekend heatwave reached dizzying heights in parts of England, with a reported high of 25 degrees Celsius enjoyed by the Crossan family on their trip to the theme park.

Rachael added: “We loved every minute of it.“From when we left the house until when we got back on the plane home, William just had the best time.

“Now it is back to reality for him as he returns to school.

“Of course we got really lucky with the weather down south, it was lovely all weekend.

“It was good to have no worries about what was going on. We were able to forget about everything we have been going through.

“It felt like we were back to our normal selves.”

For more information on the signs and symptoms of medulloblastoma, visit the website here.