A BOLTON toddler has died of a rare brain tumour after a brave four-month fight.

Little Matthew John Battersby was 21 months old when he died in the Royal Manchester Children's Hospital on Wednesday. His parents, Jackie and John, were at his side.

Matthew is only the 13th child in the country to be struck down by choroid plexus carcinoma since 1994.

His mum and dad are struggling to come to terms with the loss of their only child, who underwent surgery and chemotherapy treatment.

Jackie, 29, of Cemetery Road, Tonge Fold, said: "Matthew was a real fighter. People at the hospital were surprised at how long he kept going but he was such a brave little boy.

"He was always happy and smiling and did what any little boy of that age would."

Matthew first fell ill with a temperature last July but doctors believed it was a viral infection. Then he was treated for a squint in his left eye. He was sent for a brain scan after a shadow was discovered at the back of his eye.

A second scan in October confirmed he had a brain tumour and within days surgeons operated.

But the tumour was too big for the operation to be a complete success and Matthew was given a course of chemotherapy.

Jackie told how she and John spent their last few hours with Matthew in hospital, the little boy's favourite toy, Teletubby Po, on his bed.

She added: "It's hard to accept that Matthew developed one of these rare tumours.

"The odds are so great against it happening.

"On the day he died we stayed with him for 12 hours and talked to him and held his hand.

"His face looked so peaceful and it was comforting to see that.

"He just went into a deeper and deeper sleep. I knew he wasn't in any pain.

"The week before he had had fits so it was better to see him like that, at rest."

Dozens of mourners were at Matthew's funeral today at Overdale West Chapel.

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