NINE-YEAR-OLD Mason Mackenzie is gearing up to fight brain cancer for the second time - all with a smile on his face.
After more than a year in remission, including an incredible trip to New York, he had been rebuilding his life with his mum Carly and beginning to put his illness behind him.
But now Mason – nicknamed by his mum as 'Super Sonic Survivor' due to his love for the cartoon hedgehog and the odds he has overcome – faces major brain surgery again next week.
A devstating relapse means he will have to go through treatment once again but, from meeting him, "you'd never guess everything that he's carrying", Carly said.
Despite what he faces, Mason is always making everyone around him laugh and "always finding a reason to smile".
A scan first revealed a brain tumour in February 2024 and after undergoing major surgery he was diagnosed with a grade 3 choroid plexus carcinoma, a rare and aggressive type of malignant cancer.
Months of gruelling chemotherapy followed, often leaving him unwell, in pain and struggling with chronic fatigue.
Since 'ringing the bell' to mark the end of his treatment in December 2024, Mason had regular check ups, knowing that his form of cancer had a 50 per cent recurrence rate.
In the months that followed, he was able to start getting back to normality, attending Elphinstone Primary School in April this year after moving to the village from Wallyford, and picking up new hobbies.
He also attends play therapy to help with his emotional wellbeing, particularly surrounding the issue of death, after his own experiences and being aware of children on the hospital ward who had passed away.
Despite not experiencing any symptoms, a scan on March 31 this year showed a small but worrying area in the same ventricle where the original tumour was located before it had been surgically removed.
Medical staff decided to wait eight weeks before a re-scan: if the area had grown in that time, they would know that the tumour had returned.
In the weeks between, Mason and his mum continued on as normal, even visiting Paris and Aviemore.
Most excitingly, Mason travelled to his dream destination of New York City in May tis year, thanks to When You Wish Upon a Star, a charity that grants wishes for children living with life-threatening illnesses.
Carly made sure that Mason had the best possible experiences - including attending a Yankees baseball match, experiencing the skyline from the top of the Empire State Building, and watching The Lion King on Broadway - making their America trip “amazing and unforgettable”.
She said: “I think I just wanted to take all opportunities because I had a [bad] feeling.
“To be honest, I think you just know.”
On Tuesday last week, they received the news they were dreading: Mason’s tumour had regrown, ending his 15 months in remission.
A heartbreaking video shows him updating a banner in their garden which said 'Days without brain cancer'; Mason erased the number 470 and replaced it with a zero.
Facing up to the fight again is more difficult than last time round, when Mason was seven and not as aware of what lay ahead.
Now age nine and knowing the gruelling treatment he faces, he initially took it hard.
Carly said: “It was the first time I saw him properly hurt and it broke my heart.
“His first few questions were, 'Does that mean I’ll die', and two, 'Why me'?
“'I've had it,' was his thinking. 'Why do I have to do this again'?
“And these are questions that are really hard because we don't actually have answers.”
Mason has been “an absolute superhero” and “taken on everything with a smile”, said his proud mum.
On Wednesday, he will undergo his second brain surgery, to remove the tumour, followed by radiotherapy.
The mother-and-son duo will stay in Manchester, where the specialist hospital is located, for about two months for him to undergo the treatment and recovery.
Family friend Scott Wylie, who has supported Mason and his journey from the outset, has set up a fundraiser to help them with the financial impact of an extended stay away from home.
Carly took leave from her job as a domestic abuse practitioner for children and young people at Women’s Aid East & Midlothian to care for Mason two years ago and is “hesitant to ask for help”, but knows that they are in need.
Paul Brydon, managing director at PWB developments Ltd, donated £5,000 and Mason now has a new PS5 games console which will help bring some joy over the difficult coming months.
To donate, go to https://www.gofundme.com/f/masons-fight-av3jk
She posted the news of the cancer’s recurrence on Facebook and has been flooded with love, support and kind words which have helped both of them.
Carly said: “For him to read that he inspires people and he's got determination, he smiles and he's like, 'Yeah, I do'.”
Over the past two years, Carly has had to become an expert in Mason’s form of cancer, continuously researching treatment plans, survival rates and next steps – particularly difficult as, despite brain tumours being the deadliest form of cancer in children, research is limited.
The news has been “devastating and heartbreaking” for both of them, but they are more determined than ever to fight with everything they have.
Carly knows that they will face the next chapter with “the same courage, strength and fighting spirit” that Mason continues to show every day.
“Despite everything that he’s had to take on, he's just smashing it so far, just taking in and saying he knows what he’s got to do.
“It’s just another chapter in his story, not the ending.
“We have faced the impossible before.”
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