THE dad of a 10-year-old boy with cancer is taking on the Three Peaks Challenge to thank those who are helping his son.

Keen sportsman Mason Naylor, from Dentons Green, was diagnosed with stage 3B Hodgkin Lymphoma in February after his mum spotted a lump on his neck.

His mum and dad, Sabina and Mark Naylor, were initially told he had a viral infection. But after pushing for a second opinion, they took him to Alder Hey Children’s Hospital – where doctors found the disease.

Mason is now undergoing chemotherapy treatment following their persistence.

To thank Alder Hey and charity Clic Sargent – which offers families support and advice when dealing with children with cancer – Mark, 41, decided to climb Snowden, Scafell Pike and Ben Nevis in 24 hours in June with 20 of his friends.

Mason’s mum Sabina, 41, said: “We just knew it wasn’t right, at one point he couldn’t hold his head up right because this lump was sticking out. Within a very short period of time, Alder Hey had carried out all the tests to determine the diagnosis and created a suitable treatment plan for Mason within a week.

“Along with Clic Sargent they have provided me and my family with great support along with Alder Hey. We want to give something back as we are eternally grateful. It is hard for Mason being poorly but we’ve been honest with him, and knowing his dad and his dad’s friends are doing this for him makes me and our children very proud. He’s a lot stronger than we expected and we are just so glad we didn’t give up.

“We want to encourage other families to follow their instinct and seek a second opinion – if we had caught this earlier, Mason’s treatment would have been easier.”

Mason has also been supported by team-mattes at Blackbrook Royals rugby league club and Parkdale Sidac football, as well as his former teammates at Newton Storm rugby league club. Funds will also go towards the travel costs.

To donate visit gofundme.com/mason039s-fundraising-page.