A COUPLE said they are “living a nightmare” after their eight-month-old baby was diagnosed with a brain tumour.

Ted Waring was diagnosed with a cancerous tumour behind his eyes and ears on September 22.

His parents Danny and Leanne Waring said 2016 was supposed to be their “dream year” with the birth of Ted in February and their wedding in July.

However at four months old, Ted began to lose weight after being sick and refusing his milk.

He was tried on various different milks, including lactose and dairy-free, but would projectile vomit at the taste of it.

After numerous hospital and health visitor appointments, he was given an MRI scan at Royal Bolton Hospital after his mum said she noticed his eyes had started shaking.

The next day he was transferred to Manchester Children’s Hospital and has already undergone two operations on his brain and will soon begin 70 weeks of chemotherapy.

Mrs Waring, of Tonge Moor Road, Bolton said: “Our lives changed in an instant when we found out, we haven’t really been able to go home since.

“Danny was devastated the minute we were told they had found something.

“I was numb, but I also felt relief that they had finally got to the bottom of what it was and I thought we were finally going to have the answer to what was going on.

“I thought it was going to be a cyst, but then everything just went from bad to worse.”

Ted has had a 'cath line' tube put into his heart, which will help to administer chemotherapy and is also awaiting another operation on his brain to fit a shunt, which is a medical device that relieves pressure on the brain caused by a build-up of fluid.

Mother-of-four Mrs Waring, aged 32, said: “Ted is keeping us going. He is so smiley.

“When he comes out of operations he is really ill, but the next day he is smiling again and back to himself, running around in his walker and causing havoc on the ward. He is so strong.”

Mr Waring, aged 36, who is self-employed and Mrs Waring, a social worker, have three older children, Leo, aged 10, Zakori, aged eight and Joseph, aged seven.

Mrs Waring added: “The boys are struggling, their whole lives have been flipped upside down.

“We are trying to keep it as normal as possible and get them to football training and matches, but to do that they are having to stay with different family members.

“Leo won’t come to the hospital and hates his brother being in here.

“He said he just wants his brother home so we can get back to normal.”

In a bid to help the family, the community have been raising money and have so far donated more than £5,000 to the couple.

Mrs Waring said they are “totally and utterly overwhelmed” by the donations.

She said: “It is a terrible nightmare that we are living, but the community support that is going on around us is amazing.

“As far as the money goes, it will help us massively.

“I have had to take sick leave and Danny is self-employed, so can’t work so it is really difficult.

“But on the days that we are feeling really down, because we are out of the world being here at the hospital, I will go online and see all the comments and it really lifts our spirits.

“We had built up to this year with the wedding and having a baby, it was what we had been looking forward to.

“But it has just turned out to be the most horrendous year.

“We are just having to take every day as it comes.”

The community have also organised various fundraising days and events such as a Blackpool to Bolton bike ride, a Three Peak Challenge and businesses such as Razors Barbers in Bolton donated all of its takings on October 30 to Ted's cause.

Click here for the JustGiving page