A MARATHON runner has come out of retirement to take part in a race to raise cash to help a seven year-old boy battling leukaemia.

Egerton runner Dave Tildsley, aged 43, will run in the Great North Run on Sunday and expects to raise around £1,000 for leukaemia research.

He was moved to start running again after hearing of the plight of little Jake Lloyd who was diagnosed with the rare Acute Myeloid Leukaemia (AML).

Jake had just watched his beloved Bolton Wanderers beat Charlton 4-0 after his dad Keith bought him a season ticket.

Large bruises Jake had on his legs were just put down to the rough and tumble of being a boy.

But when he started having heavy nosebleeds, two visits to the doctor led to some devastating news for the whole family. They were told that Jake had leukaemia.

Just days later, doctors at the Royal Manchester Children's Hospital at Pendlebury confirmed he had AML.

His heartbroken parents, Keith and Lynn, and sister Liz, aged 18, are now by his bedside as he fights the illness.

Jake's father said: "We noticed some bruises on his legs but just put them down to kids stuff, Jake playing on his bike or playing football. We went away for a week and he started to have nosebleeds. We came home and went to see the doctor.

"He took some blood but when he had another nosebleed the day after, we went back to the doctor and he sent us to Wigan Infirmary.

"We waited a whole day for results and then they broke the news to us. Within an hour we were at Pendlebury. We were just devastated."

Lynn said: "It's turned our lives upside down. It's makes you realise what's really important in life.

"Before all this we were working six or seven days a week but now all we want to do is spend time with Jake."

Jake has had 10 days of chemotherapy and is currently in the 18 day recovery stage, when he suffers the after effects of the treatment. He will have a further three courses of chemotherapy over the next six months.

Jake was allowed home for a day this week where his new Bolton Wanderers bedroom was revealed.

Keith said: "I went down to the Wanderers shop and bought everything from Wanderers wallpaper to the bedcover and some friends got to work to decorate it with posters everywhere. His face was an absolute picture when he saw it.

"He's mad about Bolton, in fact we all are. We even came back from holiday to watch the Charlton match and he was really excited about the score. We just can't believe what's happened since."

The family, who live in Hindley, were heartened when Mr Tildsley said he would take part in Sunday's Great North run to raise money for leukaemia research and for Jake's ward at Pendlebury.

Dave, of Torra Barn Close, had said he had run his last marathon six years ago when he limped over the finish line at the London marathon because of a fractured foot.

But he was inspired to run again after hearing about Jake.

Mr Tildsley said: "I had changed my job and the new place had its own gym so I decided it might be an idea to do a small run for charity.

"I logged into the internet to look for a charity and came across a leukaemia website. Then one of bosses told me about his nephew, Jake."

If you want to sponsor Mr Tildsley, telephone 07891 674946.

Factfile

Acute Myeloid Leukaemia attacks the production of white blood cells in the bone marrow.

AML is more common in adults, with 15 per cent of cases being children. Just 50 children a year in the UK are diagnosed with AML.

Most forms of AML are caused by abnormalities in the chromosomes.

AML patients need four aggressive courses of chemotherapy in a short period of time, usually over six months.

The symptoms of AML are fatigue, bruising, bleeding from the nose, persistent infections and fever.

There is 70 per cent survival rate for childhood leukaemia. In 1966, the survival rate was 22 per cent.