Drew James was just like any five-year old, into Star Wars and dinosaurs. Then he was diagnosed with leukaemia and everything changed.

The first Debbie and Gordon James knew anything was wrong with their son was a string of illnesses.

Then in April this year, his glands started swelling up.

A few visits to Darent Valley Hospital and a blood test later, Drew was referred to Great Ormond Street Hospital in London, where the couple were given the devastating news he had acute myeloid leukaemia.

Gordon, 41, said: "I was absolutely gutted. I was so upset. We were gobsmacked.

"Why did it happen to a child of his age? He does not deserve to have leukaemia.

"I didn't know what to do. I was totally lost."

The news had an added poignancy for Gordon, who was also grieving for his mother, Yvonne Gauntlett, who died of ovarian cancer in November.

But Hextable Infant School pupil Drew was given odds of 80 per cent of beating it.

Seeing their son undergo a CT scan and have injections and tubes inserted into him was a distressing sight.

Gordon, of Claremont Road, Hextable, said: "When Drew had the CT scan, when they put the needle in, I was so upset I just had to walk away.

"It's hard to take watching your child having a naseo-gastric tube put in. It's more than anyone can do just to look at it."

At the age of five it was hard for Drew to understand what was going on, but Gordon used Star Wars as a way of explaining it to his son.

Leukaemia was Darth Vader or Darth Maul, and Drew's chemo-therapy sessions were likened to the Jedi masters.

Despite the fact Drew is responding well to treatment and was allowed home last month to celebrate his fifth birthday, for his parents, the past few months have been tough.

Debbie, 39, has been spending a lot of time at the hospital and Gordon has been juggling his job as an IT technician with getting the train to London as often as he can.

Gordon said: "It's 24-hour care Debbie's having to give him.

"It's so very tiring and so very stressful.

"This is putting a massive strain on our relationship, but we have to carry on, there's no option.

"There's a little lad's life at stake.

"It's been very, very stressful and we're still not through it yet."

But Gordon paid tribute to friends and family who have been very supportive.

His brother, Laurence, in Orpington, calls every day and Debbie's mum and dad, George and Carol Williams, who live on the same road as Debbie and Gordon, do washing and ironing.

Gordon said: "People have been so very, very generous."

Drew is now on his third course of chemotherapy and is due to have one more course.

If all continues to go well, he should finish the treatment by early September.

As with other leaukeamia sufferers, Drew has good days and bad days.

But the experience has been a positive one too, says Gordon.

"He seems like a totally different child. He's grown more confident. He's a brave little boy."

Debbie's friend Paula Bowman has been raising money to send Drew to Disneyland in Paris.

More than £1,000 has been raised so far through a charity football tournament and non-uniform days at Hextable School, Egerton Avenue, Hextable.

A charity bank account has been set up at Barclays.

Donations can be paid in to account number 63444910, sort code 202542.