Bravery award for nine-year-old Villa fan with cancer

Aston Barnett said he cannot wait to get back to school and playing in goal for his club

A young footballer who had to put his sporting ambitions on hold when he was diagnosed with a brain tumour has received a bravery award.

Aston Barnett, nine, from Wolverhampton was due a visit from Aston Villa talent scouts but instead had to undergo treatment after collapsing in August.

The ardent Villa fan said: "Having cancer has changed a lot of things but there's no point in negativity."

Cancer Research UK chose him for its Star Award to reward his courage.

Aston's parents, Jess Huckerby and Andy Barnett, had been told their son's constant headaches, vomiting and extreme tiredness were due to long Covid.

When he collapsed on 13 August, he was taken to Wolverhampton's New Cross Hospital for an MRI scan and a tumour was discovered.

He had surgery three days later, a course of chemotherapy and underwent radiotherapy in December.

It meant he was undergoing treatment through his ninth birthday and Christmas, but he said: "I'm hoping the treatment I'm having is going to make those tumours explode and go away.

"Negativity drags you down, but positivity picks you up."

Aston Villa have given Aston match tickets and he says he is determined to get to see the games

Aston said he loves school and missed his friends and teachers, but most of all he misses playing in goal for his club Paget Rangers.

His mum said: "It would be easy to dwell on feeling angry at the delays to Aston's diagnosis, but feeling like that doesn't really help anyone.

"Instead we prefer to draw on Aston's own positivity and feel hopeful about the future."

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