Bolton Ironman night run to be run by uncle inspired by nephew

Abbas Ibrahim from Bolton will be running the Ironman 5K Night Run on Friday.

His nephew, Muhammad Eesa Ibrahim, is currently undergoing chemotherapy after a successful removal of his brain tumour.

The seven-year-old was diagnosed in January 2023 after getting constant headaches and being unusually tired.

Abbas said: “He has been through a lot this year and looks up to me as a role model.

“I am the youngest uncle, so I spend a lot of time with him.

“He’s my little lion.”

Eesa cannot attend Gaskells Primary School the moment as his parents, Waheed and Samia Ibrahim worry he will catch an infection, but he will attend the end of the run for his uncle.

Abbas said: “The bad news hit us at once when we found out it was a brain tumour.

“It was heart-breaking, he’s the first nephew in our family as well and it shook a lot of us.”

The run is a chance for Abbas to thank NHS staff at The Christie and Manchester Children’s Hospital for their treatment of Eesa.

Abbas said: “Eesa loves Marvel superheroes especially Ironman so he’ll like that I’m doing something called the Ironman.

“The medal I get for finishing it will be going to him.

“I want to thank to all the hospitals that have supported him and have done so much for him, so I decided to raise this money for them.”

“It’s been really difficult for his mum and dad. It’s been a bumpy road and heart-breaking for them to see their son go through so much.”

Abbas is already quite active but said his family could not believe he was doing it.

He said: “They were all shocked when I told them and said I could not run.

“It’s also something I always wanted to do as a kid when I used to see the run.”

Eesa knows what his uncle is doing on Friday and is said to be  excited to meet him after the run.