Little Bradley Lowery’s battle against cancer has captured the hearts of football fans across the world.
The five-year-old was diagnosed with neuroblastoma – a rare type of cancer that usually affects young children – in 2013 and is now said to have just months to live.
An avid football fan himself, Bradley’s story came to the attention of many when he was mascot for his beloved Sunderland team last year.
Since then, he’s been voted joint winner of January’s Premier League goal of the month. And formed a special friendship with his hero, Jermaine Defoe, who visited him as he received life-extending treatment in hospital.
Now, as he prepares to lead Sunderland out again as they visit Everton at Goodison Park this weekend, the Football Association have announced that Bradley will be on mascot duty for England in a World Cup qualifier at Wembley next month.
The FA have confirmed that Bradley will lead the team out on to the field ahead of the Lithuania game on March 26.
The news comes just days after Bradley’s family revealed in a Facebook post that a recent scan had shown that a new tumour had developed at the base of his spine.
Like everyone else reading this, we hope Bradley’s big day out at Wembley will give him and his family something to look forward to. We’re sure he’ll be given a great reception when he walks out of the tunnel.
