A mum's heart sank when her 10-year-old boy was diagnosed with scoliosis after receiving a message from a stranger on Instagram.
Ruben Dougherty, 10, is a six-time world champion in jiu-jitsu and kickboxing. The youngster posts pictures and videos of his training and competitions on an Instagram page run by his mum Laura Dickinson.
After seeing the videos, Laura, 40, received a message from a woman saying Ruben might have scoliosis.
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She took the messages with a pinch of salt, but brought Ruben to an osteopath anyway.
Ruben was diagnosed with scoliosis, a condition where the spine twists and curves the side before the woman on Instagram disappeared.
Laura said she was 'upset' when she first heard the diagnosis
She told the ECHO : "I was just thinking, you know, you always think worst case scenarios, like he's not going to be able to walk, he's going to have an operation, he's never going to be able to fight again. All that hard work and he's going to have to stop fighting.
"I was really upset, crying to family members. It's the unknowing. It's something that's got to be monitored. It's not like we know and we know what we've got to deal with. It's like a waiting game now."
Ruben, who started jiu-jitsu when he was 4, is lucky the 'guardian angel' messaged Laura when she did.
Doctors can keep an eye on how he grows and how his spine develops so they can step in, possibly with a brace, to stop his spine from curving too far.
For now he can continue boxing, but jiu-jitsu, with its rolling and contorting, is on hold while he awaits test results for another condition.
On his ninth birthday, Ruben became the youngest person signed to MTK Global, a boxer management company that represents Tyson Fury.
Laura told the ECHO : "I felt really proud to be honest, because it just shows that someone's recognised how good he is and recognised his talent."
Ruben stays positive, but he was upset that he's currently unable to do the sport he loves.
Laura told the ECHO : "He was upset at first, but he was just happy he could continue something. I think if they said 'stop everything', he'd pull his hair out.
"He trains everyday. He loves it. He's always active."
In addition to his own award-winning fighting and training, Ruben is an ambassador at The Inclusive Hub, a club that does boxing with autistic adults and children, people with ADHD, and wheelchair users, among others.
The 'loving and kind' 10-year-old is taking part in the endurance event, Tough Mudder, on September 5 to raise money for The Inclusive Hub and for another charity he works with.
This is Lyla and Lillies' Stars, which provides seriously ill children with a special day out.
You can donate to Ruben's GoFundMe here.
Laura told the ECHO : "[Ruben] has really got a passion for people. He's dead emotional. Things get to him even if he doesn't know them. If someone's sick, he'd be really upset over it.
"His heart is so big."
