Bradley Lowery’s best friend Jermaine Defoe says goodbye to him as cancer worsens

Little Bradley Lowery's condition has worsened as the terminal cancer begins to cause him breathing difficulties

The entire country has been captivated by the story of Bradley Lowery from Country Durham.

The six-year-old caught the public eye after being a mascot for his favourite football team, Sunderland.

After that, he appeared on the red carpet as guest of honour at the BBC Sports Personality of the Year last year, along with his new best friend - Sunderland striker and international footballer Jermaine Defoe.

Bradley, who was diagnosed with neuroblastoma at the age of three, had been improving in the past year - much to the delight of his friends, family and fans.

But in a devastating twist of events, his mum Gemma recently announced that he "doesn't have long left" as his cancer has spread.

Two months ago, he was moved home to receive palliative care, and his mum updated their followers on Facebook with the tragic news: "Bradley had a scan on Monday and it showed what we feared. Bradley's cancer is spreading at a very fast rate and he has now got lots of new tumours, including in his lungs.

"The lump that was causing pain was originally thought to be a abscess has got bigger and they now believe it's a tumour. We are heartbroken this is happening so fast."

WATCH: Bradley Lowery thanked fans on Facebook for their birthday messages

But Bradley is an incredibly brave, kind and caring little boy, and wanted to throw a party with his close friends and family - despite how weak he now is.

And Jermaine, who has grown incredibly close to the Lowery family over the past year, paid a special visit to the little lad, giving him a heartbreaking "final cuddle".

A family member wrote on Facebook: "Update on Brad is... He is very weak and finding breathing difficult but he is fighting it.

"He insisted on having a party and he invited his cousins and girlfriend Poppy yesterday. They all laid on the bed having cuddles. I think it was his way of saying his goodbyes.

"Late last night his best friend Jermaine came to visit him and it was so heart-warming seeing how Bradley reacted. He was so happy and laid for ages getting cuddles. Bradley was really relaxed with him."

Our thoughts are with Bradley's family at this difficult time.

Have you been following Bradley's story? Let us know over on Facebook and Twitter.

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