The family of a two-year-old boy who passed away following a battle with rare form of cancer are urging the community to come out and give him the send off he deserves.
Kaleb Burns, was just five months old when his parents took him to be treated for suspected reflux, only to leave with a cancer diagnosis when doctors discovered a tumour in his brain.
Speaking to Belfast Live, his uncle David Burns explained how the family's world was turned upside down after the unsuspected diagnosis.
He said: "He was just five months at the time and he was taken into the Ulster Hospital as he had a reflux problem with milk, he wasn't able to keep it down at all.
"Then a couple of weeks later his mum noticed his eyes making weird movements, and she wasn't sure if it would happened again, but then when he did it again she managed to catch it on camera and she showed it to the doctors. It was then they took him down for an MRI and that's when they spotted the tumour in his brain.
"So he went with a form of reflux and came out with a tumour diagnosis. That day in the Ulster when we got the news still sticks out so vividly in my head, it was such a shock."
After being transferred to the Royal Hospital for Sick Children, Kaleb had a feeding tube inserted as well as a shunt in his head to help relieve fluid pressure on his brain caused by the tumours.
David continued: "After he had those done he started to show more signs of the wee personality that he was. He was a real cheeky little monkey.
"As the weeks went on they got more people to assess the scans and it was then they realised it was a unique cancer and he was diagnosed with Metastatic Pilocytic Astrocytoma brain tumour.
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"His parents then decided they didn't want to spend his whole life in a hospital so they asked to be trained up in his feeds and medicines and then by September that year he was allowed back to his own home which they got kitted out and equipped with everything he needed."
Despite not having high hopes for any life expectancy, David says Kaleb battled with strength like he had never seen before.
He said: "Over that time it was tough, he had his moments where he didn't look so good but he always pulled through, he was always battling on and just being a wee warrior, his strength was something I had never seen before in a child or even an adult.
"Throughout it all even though he couldn't really communicate his personality would just shine through to us. The photo above just captures him, that photo just screams to me I'm going to be up to no good and that was him to me, he had such a colourful wee personality."
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But in the early months of 2018 a MRI showed there was a small percentage of growth in the tumour and despite battling on for over a year, Kaleb sadly passed away on May 8 this year.
He will be laid to rest on Monday, May 13 and the family are asking people in the area to turn out and give their 'warrior' the send off he deserves.
David added: "We would like to ask as many people as possible to stand between Ronnie Thompson Funeral Directors in Lisburn and Blair’s Cemetery. The service will take place at between 10.15 and 10.45.
"The funeral procession will leave the funeral directors, proceeding down Long Stone Street, turning onto Governors Rd, past the cinema, turning onto Hillsborough Road, past the hospital and turning onto Blaris Rd, up to the entrance of the cemetery and applaud as Kaleb passes by.
"The family would also ask if anyone attending would like to wear bright colours to show Kaleb's bright personality and we want to celebrate that."
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