Mum Callie Blackwell gave her dying son Deryn cannabis to ease his cancer - and he made a full recovery
As a parent, your job is to protect your child from harm.
However, it's not always possible - and that's the devastating reality that Callie Blackwood had to endure.
When her son Deryn was diagnosed with leukaemia at the age of 10, he began chemotherapy straight away and was amazingly back to school within a couple of months.
But in January 2012, Deryn's throat began to hurt and he had his tonsils removed, which were found to be cancerous.
It took the doctors a few days to diagnose what type of cancer this was - because they'd never seen it before.
The cancer was found to be Langerhans cell sarcoma - which is so rare that only five people on the planet have ever suffered from it.
The one in seven billion cancer is aggressive, and so little is known about it that even Deryn himself isn't sure how to describe it.
Speaking to Phillip Schofield and Holly Willoughby on This Morning earlier today along with mum Callie, Deryn said: "There's not a lot of research into it so I'm not too sure what it is, it's very confusing."
He described how he was given a bone marrow transplant to try and help, telling the presenters that he'd had "extensive" chemotherapy and radiotherapy and then a bone marrow transplant.
Check out: unusual baby boy names
CLOSER - Unusual Baby Boy Names SLIDER
1 of 18Unusual Baby Boy Names - beginning with A
AbnerMeaning: This Hebrew names means "father is light", or "father of light".AeroMeaning: "of the sky" in Greek.ArkinMeaning: This Norwegian name means "eternal king's son".ArlenMeaning: This Irish name is of Gaelic origin, and means "pledge, promise, oath".
2 of 18Unusual Baby Boy Names - beginning with B
BasilMeaning: Another Greek name on the list, Basil is best known as a herb but also means "royal" or "kingly".BrandoMeaning: Potentially as an homage to the famed actor Marlon Brando, this Italian name is dervied from the French Bertrand, meaning "brilliant raven", "fiery torch" or "beacon".
3 of 18Unusual Baby Boy Names - beginning with C
CedarMeaning: Best known as a coniferous tree, this could be an alternative to Cedric, which was invented by Sir Walter Scott for his novel Ivanhoe in 1819.CosmoMeaning: This name is both used in English and Italian, with the alternative of Cosimo, meaning "order, decency, and beauty".CoyoteMeaning: Fancy naming your baby after a canine creature found mostly in Central and North America?CrispinMeaning: This Latin baby name is from the Roman family name Crispinus, based on the Latin word Crispus which means "curled" or "curly-haired".
4 of 18Unusual Baby Boy Names - beginning with D
DaxtenMeaning: An alternative to the name Dax, it may mean "of the town Dax", which is French.
5 of 18Unusual Baby Boy Names - beginning with E
EbenezerMeaning: Made famous by Charles Dickens' novel A Christmas Carol, it means "rock" or "stone of help".
6 of 18Unusual Baby Boy Names - beginning with F
FritzMeaning: This is a shortened version of the German Frederick, derived from the Old High German Fridurih (ruler of peace), a compound name composed of the elements frid (peace) and rik (king, ruler).
7 of 18Unusual Baby Boy Names - beginning with H
HanselMeaning: Best known as the other half of Hansel and Gretel, this Hebrew name means "Gift from God".HarlenMeaning: This is an alternative spelling to Harlan, which is and English name meaning "From the hare's land".HawkMeaning: One of the most feared birds of prey, the word "hawk" actually dervies from the Old English word "hafoc".HestonMeaning: Traditionally an English surname, the name Heston has come into prominence through the famous chef, Heston Blumenthal. It means "one who came from Heston (a London suburb.)", and is derived from the Old English "hes" meaning "brushwood" and "tun" which means "enclosure".HoganMeaning: This is normally an Irish surname. In Irish Gaelic, Ó hÓgáin, it is diminutive of "Og" meaning "young".HyattMeaning: An English name, meaning "from the high gate".
8 of 18Unusual Baby Boy Names - beginning with I
IggyMeaning: Are parents naming their children after Iggy Pop?! This English name means "firey one".IgorMeaning: This Russian name means "warrior of peace".IkeMeaning: Although often short for Isaac, the name Ike is actually a name in it's own right. From Hebrew origins, this name means "he laughs/laughter".IndigoMeaning: Although traditionally a girl's name, this deep, rich purple colour would make a lovely name for either gender! Coming from the Greek "Indikos", meaning Indian dye.
9 of 18Unusual Baby Boy Names - beginning with K
KruzeMeaning: An alternative spelling to Cruz, made famous by the Beckhams, meaning "cross" in Spanish and referring to the cross of the crucifixion.
10 of 18Unusual Baby Boy Names - beginning with L
LionMeaning: Coming from the Latin Leo, which is a name in its own right and often short for Leonardo.LoyalMeaning: The word loyal means "true or faithful in allegiance", which is what we should all hope our children turn out to be! Comes from the Latin legalis, making "legal" and "loyal" from the same branch.LysanderMeaning: Most famous as one of The Lovers in Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream, Lysander means "liberator" or "one who is freed". A compound name made up of "lysis" (freedom) and "andros" (man).
11 of 18Unusual Baby Boy Names - beginning with M
MarloMeaning: An alternative to Marlon, which is French, this name means "descendent of Mary".MarsMeaning: The Roman God of war? The Red Planet? Or the delicious chocolate bar? Either way, this name comes from mar, which means to spoil or ruin something. It could also be from the Latin mas, which means male.MarvelMeaning: Are you thinking of naming your son after the comic book giants? Comes from the Latin "mirari", meaning to "wonder at".
12 of 18Unusual Baby Boy Names - beginning with N
NestorMeaning: A Greek name derived from a combination of "νέομαι" (neomai), meaning "go back", and "νόστος" (nostos), meaning "one who returns from travels".
13 of 18Unusual Baby Boy Names - beginning with O
OakMeaning: A sturdy tree which bears the acorn.OzMeaning: Commonly used as a shortening of Australia in the modern Western world, but Oz actually means "strength" in Hebrew.
14 of 18Unusual Baby Boy Names - beginning with P
PaxMeaning: Derived from the Latin "pax" meaning "peace, the binding thing". Pax was also a Roman goddess of peace, and is the name of one of Angelina Jolie's sons.PerseusMeaning: Another character from Greek mythology, Perseus was Hercules' half-brother. This name is either derived from the Greek verb, "πέρθειν" (perthein), meaning "to waste, ravage, sack, destroy" - or, it means "to destroy".PsalmMeaning: A religious hymn, this comes from the Greek "psallein", meaning "to pluck".
15 of 18Unusual Baby Boy Names - beginning with R
RajMeaning: Raj is a Sanskrit Indian name, meaning "King".RamsesMeaning: Ever watch the Prince Of Egypt? Ramses was Moses' step-brother! In Egyptian, Ramses means "begotten by Ra the sun god".RenlyMeaning: It would seem we have a lot of Game Of Thrones fans out there... It's also an alternative to Renleigh or Renley.RigginsMeaning: Traditionally an English surname, Riggins is an Anglicized form of the Irish surname Ó Riagáin which means "son of Riagán" derived from the Irish name Riagán, which means "little king".RocketMeaning: Possibly taking inspiration from Jamie and Jools Oliver, it comes from the French "roquette" which means "spinning".RoscoeMeaning: This is a Norwegian name, meaning "from the deer forest".
16 of 18Unusual Baby Boy Names - beginning with S
SaintMeaning: Almost definitely taking inspiration from Kim Kardashian and Kanye West's adorable little boy, this name comes from the Latin "sancire", which means "consecrate".SparshMeaning: This unusual name means "touch".
17 of 18Unusual Baby Boy Names - beginning with T
TavishMeaning: A Scottish version of Thomas, it's an Anglicised form of Thàmhais.TigerMeaning: There are quite a few animal names in this list!TruMeaning: A German name meaning "strength of the spear; spear maiden".
18 of 18Unusual Baby Boy Names - beginning with Z
ZeeMeaning: This could be a shortened version of the Hebrew name Ezekiel, which means "God will strengthen".ZiggyMeaning: This German name is a shortened version of Sigmund, which means "protection through victory".ZyronMeaning: There isn't very much explanation on the name Zyron, but it could be an alternative of Zion, which is a Biblical name meaning "monument; raised up; sepulcher".
The now 17-year-old had three attempts at a bone marrow transplant, but unfortunately they all failed. Mum Callie described how at the fourth transplant, it was their last shot.
She said: "They only had one more bag of his own cells - no more. They stressed to us that there were no more chances after this."
Callie then explained that three days after the transplant, Deryn had trapped his hand down the side of the bed and contracted some infections - deadly for someone with no immune system, saying: "He was being kept alive by antibiotics.
"He had been really upbeat and jovial throughout everything, but those last few months he was in a lot of pain."
Callie, from Bury St Edmunds, said that the family were given "three days, a week at most" as a prognosis for Deryn, with the boy admitting that he had planned his own funeral.
He admitted: "I wanted to go. I did," with Callie adding: "He was looking forward to it." Deryn went on: "After four years of treatment, enough was enough."
At the family's lowest ebb, Callie made a controversial decision that would turn out to be an excellent call - but could have landed her in jail.
She said: "I'd done a lot of research. Over the next couple of months, cannabis just kept popping up on the internet. I would dismiss it as an option, but it got to the point where I was in hospital with Deryn, and he was so incredibly ill that I just tried it and asked the nurse for a cannabis-based pain relief called Bedrocan, who refused because it has not been licensed for children."
At this point, Callie said: "What have I got to lose? He's dying anyway."
She described how the effects were almost immediate and "blew her mind". She was hoping that it would alleviate some anxiety and pain for her son, but was not expecting what happened next.
Take a look: Holly Willoughby: All her clothes from This Morning and where to get it cheaper on the high street
Holly Willoughby: All her clothes from This Morning and where to get it cheaper on the high street slider february 2019
1 of 8MONDAY 4 March
Here's Holly's first This Morning outfit of March 2019 and we're impressed. It's almost officially spring and Holly is wearing a blue roll neck jumper from Pure Collection, an asymmetric midi skirt from John Lewis and white court heels from Kurt Geiger. Holly's outfit costs more than £200 but we've found a similar look for less...What Holly wore:Cashmere Roll Neck Sweater, Pure Collection, £125.John Lewis & Partners Asymmetric Fold Midi Skirt Green, John Lewis, £69.BOND In White, Kurt Geiger London, £179.**Where you can get Holly's look for less on the high street:**From Boohoo, Next and Deichmann you can recreate Holly's outfit for £65...
2 of 8holly willoughby this morning outfit 4 march 2019
3 of 8TUESDAY 26 February
Happy Tuesday! Today Holly's opted for a navy looks and we're SO feeling it. The sun is out and so are Holly's legs. The This Morning presenter is wearing a funnel neck top from Warehouse, an A-line denim skirt from Sandro Paris and off-white ankle boots from Office. Holly's outfit costs £237 but we've found a similar version for less on the high street...What Holly wore:Long Sleeve Funnel Neck Top, Warehouse, £16.Short Knit Skirt, Sandro Paris, £175.Aries Square Toe Boots Off Whte Leather Snake Silver Mix Heel, Office, £46.**Where you can get Holly's look for less on the high street:**From Boohoo, New Look and Pretty Little Thing you can recreate Holly's outfit for £61...
4 of 8holly willoughby this morning outfit 26 february 2019
5 of 8WEDNESDAY 27 February
For her mid week look, Holly is wearing this white animal print asymmetric dress from Karen Millen. She's paired it with nude court heels but she's actually wearing Office heels instead of her pricey Gianvito Rossi shoes - go Holly! The This Morning presenter's outfit costs £248 but we've found a similar version for less...What Holly wore:Asymmetric Leopard Lace Dress, Karen Millen, £199.Hattie Point Court Nude, Office, £69.**Where you can get Holly's look for less on the high street:**From New Look and Missguided you can recreate Holly's outfit for less than £50...
6 of 8holly willoughby this morning outfit 27 february 2019
7 of 8THURSDAY 28 February
To end her week on This Morning, Holly is wearing an ivory shirt, denim culotte trousers and black court heels. The This Morning presenter looks gorgeous and today and we love that she's rocking trousers - it may be warmer than usual but it's still not hot yet. Holly's outfit costs £935 but fear not because we've found a similar version for less on the high street...What Holly wore:Spellbound Silk Shirt, Anthropologie, £250.Emil Denim Wide Leg Trousers, L.K.Bennett London, £175.Gianvito 105, Gianvito Rossi, £510.**Where you can get Holly's look for less on the high street:**From Dorothy Perkins, Topshop and Pretty Little Thing you can recreate Holly's outfit for less than £61...
8 of 8holly willoughby this morning outfit 28 february 2019
Callie described how, within an hour of administering the tincture - which she stresses is NOT cannabis oil - Deryn had "chilled out": "He just relaxed - the anxiety had stopped, he was no longer panicking."
The family found that Deryn's white blood cells started to increase after five days. They also noticed that has poorly hand, which they were told would have no chance of recovering, had started to heal.
She explained that nobody has ever seen positive results from a bone marrow transplant after 50 days, so for Deryn to start getting these positive results at day 75 was nothing short of a miracle.
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The family even tested it by withdrawing the cannabis solution - and they saw Deryn's white blood count drop by half, so they knew it was definitely having some sort of positive effect.
And now, five years later, Deryn is "perfectly healthy". The family stress that they are not advocating it for everyone, but that it did work for them.
Phil and Holly then explained the laws around cannabis in the UK, with Callie admitting that she could actually be prosecuted - but it's a risk she was willing to take.
What a miracle!
This article appeared on Closer on 27 March 2017.