A FAMILY holiday in London turned into a nightmare scene from Casualty when a Dalgety Bay youngster was diagnosed with cancer after suddenly taking seriously ill.

Danyal Mirza became really unwell following a day trip to a car museum three years ago and was found to have leukaemia after being rushed to hospital.

The brave schoolboy has now been awarded a medal from Cancer Research UK for his courage in coping with the illness and received the gong at a circus-themed party in London on Saturday.

His mum, Sobia, 38, recalled the terrifying moments when Danyal, now seven, started being sick on the journey home to his aunt's house.

She said: “It was one of the hottest days of the summer. I was driving on the motorway but I managed to pull over to the hard shoulder.

“I was calling out Danyal’s name but he wasn’t making eye contact and it was almost like he was having a seizure. It was so frightening and I ended up calling an ambulance.

“My mum went in the ambulance with Danyal while I followed behind in the car with my older son, Amaan.

“When we got to the hospital it was a bit of a blur. At one point, Danyal had about 10 doctors around him and they explained to me that the results of his blood tests were really causing them concern.”

Danyal was transferred to the Royal Marsden Hospital in London, where medics ran more tests over several days.

It was a hammer blow when he was diagnosed in July 2013 with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia, the most common type of leukaemia in children.

Sobia added: “You know how you see it in TV programmes like Casualty when doctors take you into a small room to give you bad news?

“That’s exactly what it was like. Danyal’s dad and I knew that if the results of the tests had been good news they’d have just told us there and then.

“Instead in that small room they explained that Danyal had leukaemia. We were hundreds of miles from home and our lives in that second became that hospital ward.

“They started Danyal on chemotherapy straight away and we lost that summer.

“Cancer is hard enough for an adult to understand, never mind a child. We had to explain to Danyal that he needed medicine to make him better.”

By September, Danyal was well enough to travel home to Scotland into the care of doctors at Edinburgh’s Sick Children’s Hospital.

Doctors explained that although they could no longer find any leukaemia in Danyal’s blood, he needed three years of chemotherapy – and he's now due to mark the final day of his treatment on September 11.

Sobia continued: “Danyal was in hospital quite a lot, especially when he got infections.

“At times I felt split in two as when I was in hospital in Edinburgh with Danyal then I worried about and missed my other son Amaan who was at school in Fife. It was a horrible time.

“They say things in life happen for a reason. I’ve asked so many times, why did Danyal get cancer?

“I’ve looked for answers. But I’m hugely proud of both my boys.

“Danyal is in Primary 2 now and he’s doing really well. It’s brilliant he’s back enjoying life at school with his friends where he belongs.”

Danyal was one of 20 kids from across the UK who came together as special ambassadors to represent around 600 youngsters who have received Cancer Research UK awards in the last year.

He attended the party, held in partnership with TK Maxx, with Sobia, dad Amjad, 37, and brother Amaan, 10, and met party host Stacey Solomon.

Lisa Adams, Cancer Research UK spokeswoman for Scotland, said: “It is a privilege to be able to recognise the courage of youngsters like Danyal. He is a true ‘star’.”