FIVE-YEAR-OLD cancer sufferer John Mark Riding will return home to England this week to spend some precious time with his family before flying to Australia for an operation which his parents hope will save his life.

The five-year-old, formerly from Darwen and a former Lancashire Evening Telegraph Baby of the Year, flew to Germany at the beginning of February for experimental holistic treatment on a brain tumour at a specialist clinic.

His progress, which has already seen him outlive the odds by four months, amazed doctors there and his condition improved so dramatically, he was able to enjoy long walks and swimming with his parents John Riding, from Blackburn, and Jacqueline Sanderson.

His father John said he had become "a five-year-old again."

But now doctors have found the aggressive tumour has had a reaction and John's condition has deteriorated.

He will now fly home for a quiet two weeks with his parents and family in Cornwall, before flying to Australia for an eight hour operation to remove the tumour.

John Mark has a tumour on his brain stem, which doctors had thought inoperable, but organisers for the John Riding Appeal, which is being co-ordinated in Cornwall, say they have found a specialist in Australia who has performed such an operation twice and has agreed to operate on John.

But his family need £25,000 for the trip and urgently need to fundraise.

His father John said: "The nature of John's condition is that at this moment there is no known cure. It is also impossible to predict how long he may survive. John remains a seriously-ill child with a very unstable condition.

"We hope that we can keep John's condition stable and use various treatments to prolong his life until such time that a permanent cure may be found.

"The appeal has searched the world using the power of the Internet and John's website, searching for pioneering treatment around the world."

Fundraiser and co-ordinator of the John Riding Appeal, Danny Vose, said: "John's parents are obviously extremely distraught and concerned. John has undergone treatment non-stop for several months and the family now wish to have some privacy and time with their son at home.

"They wish to express their sincere gratitude to the community for assisting John with his treatment in Germany and hope the community will continue to support their son."

The operation on John will be carried out by specialist neurosurgeon Dr Charles Teo.

Mr Vose said: "John is outwardly reasonably well but remains critically ill."

"And unfortunately the tumour has taken a reaction and the doctors are very concerned. With this in mind they wish to operate on John almost immediately."

"John's parents have agonised over their decisions but without intervention of some kind there is little chance of John's long-term survival. They have, however, made it clear they will not allow any form of treatment that will allow John to suffer unnecessarily. They are keen to maintain the best quality of life and happiness for John."